CONCORD — A former Keene woman pleaded guilty today in federal court to stealing almost $500,000 from her employer over a six-year period, announced U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young.
Stephanie Pratt, 39, entered her plea to a charge of wire fraud before U.S. District Court Judge Landya B. McCafferty, who set the sentencing for Nov. 12.
Pratt, as the office administrator for a Hinsdale-based company, had complete control over the company’s financial accounts, enabling her to embezzle $492,325.34 between 2015 and 2021.
She issued unauthorized checks to herself, falsifying the accounting records to appear as legitimate vendor payments.
Additionally, Pratt made over 1,000 unauthorized personal purchases on the company’s credit cards, including plane tickets, a smart TV, a hot tub, Patriots game tickets, and various herbs and spices.
She hid these purchases by deleting them from the credit card statements that her employer reviewed.
The wire fraud charge carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the amount of the gross gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greater.
Sentencing will be determined by the federal district court judge based on the U.S.
