PENSACOLA — Candace B. McLeod, 32, of Holt, was sentenced yesterday to 75 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and filing false tax returns.
Christopher P. Canova, acting U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the sentence.
Between 2009 and 2013, McLeod embezzled over $1 million from her employer, Destin Flooring.
McLeod worked as a bookkeeper, and she stole money by making unauthorized online payments to pay her credit cards with employer funds, using corporate credit cards for unauthorized personal purchases and issuing extra checks to herself from corporate accounts by fraudulently using the general manager’s signature.
She used her position to create false documentation and to manipulate accounting records to cover up her scheme. McLeod also failed to report the embezzled money as income on her income tax returns.
This case resulted from a joint investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation and the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alicia H. Kim prosecuted the case.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Holt woman sentenced for wire fraud, identity theft and filing false tax returns