The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont and Northeast Agricultural Sales, Inc. has filed charges against the company’s former employee. Jennifer Dwyer, a 49-year-old resident of Vermont, has been indicted on one count of embezzling. Dwyer allegedly embezzled over two million dollars from her employer Northeast Agricultural Sales, Inc. The wire fraud transactions took place over ten years during Dwyer’s tenure at the company.
Wire fraud is defined as an intentional act to defraud another person or entity of his or her money or property. It is a federal crime and is punishable by up to 30 years in prison.
Our Burlington federal criminal defense attorneys are here to guide you if you are charged with federal crimes like embezzlement. Contact us today for a free consultation.
Since Dwyer worked in the accounting department, managing customer billing and payroll, she had access to the company’s banking transactions and allegedly funneled money into her own personal bank account. Her expertise in this area allowed her to hide all the transactions she made to her personal accounts.
The Northeast Agricultural Sales, Inc. is a small, family-run business based in Lyndonville, Vermont, and has another office in Detroit, Maine. The company was started in 1987 by Jim Choiniere after he bought out a fertilizer company for whom he had worked 30 years previously. The company provides services and products to help farmers have more productive crops. The company feels that the embezzling violated their trust with an employee who had been a part of their family for so long.
Dwyer told lawyers that she used the money to pay off some personal debts, pay for other living expenses, and participate in online gambling. As of this time, she is cooperating with the investigation.
If Dwyer is found guilty, she could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison. She could also be required to repay the money she embezzled as restitution, which could be made in payments if the money is not paid back within a certain amount of time, or depending on the outcome of the case and what the judge decides. In that case, she may be required to forfeit some of her personal property, especially big-ticket items that were purchased with the stolen funds, including a camper, two pickup trucks, jet ski, and trailer, as well as a tractor. These items would then be sold, and any money received would be put toward the restitution debt. Any cash received before Dwyer appears in court will be applied to the restitution.
