The former office manager of a Henderson law firm has entered a guilty plea to wire fraud in U.S. District Court for embezzling over 264-thousand dollars during a 30-month period, according to U.S. Attorney John E. Kuhn Jr.
According to the plea agreement, Kuhn says 45 year old Krista Kaye Graupner of Evansville, Indiana committed wire fraud while employed at the law firm of King, Deep & Branaman over a two year period between June 2012 and December 2014.
As office manager, Graupner reportedly had access to the law firm’s bank accounts and was authorized to write checks and initiate ACH payments out of the accounts. During her guilty plea, Kuhn says Graupner admitted to paying her own personal bills using the law firm’s funds.
In October of 2014, the release states Graupner also began wiring money from Henderson to various individuals in South Africa who were part of the scheme. Graupner reportedly admitted that she would write checks, either for cash or to herself, drawn upon the law firm’s accounts and then use the cash from the checks to wire the money via Western Union to individuals in South Africa. In perpetuating this crime, officials say the 45 year old woman made about 200 wire transfers during the two year period.
Graupner is scheduled to be sentenced by Chief Judge Joseph H. McKinley Jr. in Owensboro on January 13, 2016 and could receive a combined maximum term of 60 years in prison, a maximum fine of 750-thousand dollars, and a 3-year period of supervised release.
The case was investigated by the FBI and the Henderson Police Department.