Bookkeeper Cops Plea in Embezzlement Scam
BRATTLEBORO, VT—The former bookkeeper of Vermont Graphics has pleaded guilty to forgery and tax evasion in an embezzlement scam that cost the printer hundreds of thousands of dollars, The Keene Sentinel reported. Julie Garrow faces up to 10 years in prison for the forgery conviction and a maximum of three years for tax evasion, the paper said.
As part of the deal struck with prosecutors, Garrow has agreed to pay more than $600,000 in restitution to Vermont Graphics and more than $80,000 to the IRS in unpaid taxes on the money she was accused of stealing. Prosecutors are seeking a prison term of two to two and a half years for Garrow, who will be sentenced Sept. 13.
Vermont Graphics owner Albert Gehly told the newspaper he was upset with the decision to drop the charge of bank fraud, which would have carried a maximum sentence of 30 years. Gehly also doubts he will get back all of his money.
Garrow was hired as a part-time bookkeeper back in 1994 and began stealing from Vermont Graphics about a month later, the Sentinel said, citing the indictment. She would forge company checks to make it seem as if other employees were paying her. It was a scheme that went undetected for 14 years.