Former Bookkeeper Gets Prison for Wire Fraud

A federal judge has sentenced a former bookkeeper at a Paducah business to prison for using company credit cards to make more than $125,000 worth of personal purchases.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Paducah, Senior District Judge Thomas B. Russell sentenced 53-year-old Dana Thomas of Paducah Friday to 27 months in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release, and ordered her to pay restitution of $147,770. Thomas pleaded guilty to wire fraud charges on Aug. 21.
 
According to court records, Thomas used company credit cards while employed at Audiology and Hearing Center to fraudulently pay for various personal items, including a $5,000 condo in Panama City, FL and a New Year's trip to New York City.

Prosecutors said that after Thomas resigned last December, a new bookkeeper discovered she had stolen $125,570 from the office over the course of her employment.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Madison Sewell, and was investigated by the FBI.