| For Immediate Release Case # 12HF2501 June 13, 2014 |
Susan Kang Schroeder Chief of Staff Office: 714-347-8408 Cell: 714-292-2718 Farrah Emami
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BOOKKEEPER SENTENCED TO EIGHT YEARS IN PRISON FOR EMBEZZLING OVER $750,000 FROM MULTIPLE EMPLOYERS
*Defendant spent the stolen money on breast enhancement surgeries and luxury cars and vacations
SANTA ANA – A part-time bookkeeper was sentenced today to eight years in state prison for embezzling over $750,000 from multiple employers. Lisa Jeanette Dorman, 43, Huntington Beach, pleaded guilty May 22, 2014, to two felony counts of grand theft embezzlement, nine felony counts of money laundering, one felony count each of forgery and falsifying financial records, with sentencing enhancements for money laundering over $50,000, property loss over $200,000, and aggravated white collar crime over $500,000. Dorman was also ordered to pay over $789,000 in restitution to the victim companies.
In October 2007, Dorman was hired as the part-time bookkeeper for Stratus Development LLC. She was responsible for handling the accounts payable bill payments and maintaining the company’s accounting records. Between December 2007 and November 2009, Dorman embezzled over $171,000 from Stratus Development by creating false entries in the company’s check ledger to hide extra salary checks she paid to herself and payments made to fictitious vendors she deposited into her own personal accounts.
In November 2009, prior to discovery of the embezzlement, Dorman resigned from her position at Stratus Development and accepted a new position as part-time bookkeeper for Southern California Contractors, Inc. (SCCI.) Between December 2009 and February 2012, Dorman embezzled over $578,000 from the company by creating false entries in the company’s check ledger to hide extra salary checks she paid to herself and writing over 300 forged checks paid to fictitious accounts payable vendors, which she deposited into her personal accounts.
Between 2007 and 2012, Dorman’s spending averaged more than $20,000 per month, while she was actually earning $2,000 in legitimate monthly salary. She spent the victims’ money on cosmetic breast-enhancement surgeries; extravagant vehicles including a Cadillac Escalade, Toyota FJ Cruiser, racing motorcycles and a $20,000 off-road dune buggy for her children; and multiple European vacations including a 12-day trip to Florence and Rome, costing more than $47,000. While working at both companies as part-time bookkeeper, Dorman stole what amounts to more than 30 years of her legitimate annual net take-home salary earnings.
Stratus Development uncovered the embezzlement after Dorman left the company and reported the crime to the Irvine Police Department (IPD), and SCCI reported the embezzlement to the Huntington Beach Police Department (HBPD). This case was investigated by IPD and HBPD.
Deputy District Attorney Chuck Lawhorn of the Major Fraud Unit/White Collar Crime Team prosecuted this case.