The lengthy, meticulous embezzlement scheme run by former accounting manager Christin Guillory came to a dramatic close yesterday as a U.S. District Judge sentenced the Kent, Washington, woman to three years in federal prison for wire fraud and tax fraud. Guillory was found guilty of stealing over $2.5 million from her Everett-based manufacturing employer over nearly a decade.
Guillory, who worked side-by-side with colleagues who considered her a friend, systematically created fraudulent payment accounts and fake companies to funnel company funds directly into her personal bank accounts. Authorities revealed she executed at least 867 secret transactions, diligently manipulating the company’s books to conceal the theft by creating false accounting entries.
“For nine years, she engaged in a meticulous scheme to hide her theft,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. “Ms. Guillory betrayed colleagues who were also her friends, knowingly placing the company’s financial security and her colleagues’ jobs at risk.”
The sheer audacity of the scheme was compounded by the tax fraud involved. Guillory failed to report the millions she embezzled as income, ultimately evading over $590,000 in taxes owed to the U.S. Treasury. For one year alone, she reported less than $40,000 in income while secretly routing over $615,000 from the company.
During the sentencing, the court noted the profound impact the crime had on the small, close-knit business. The company suffered financially, and the deep sense of personal betrayal permeated the workplace.
The court has ordered Guillory to pay full restitution: $2,536,086 to the victim company and $590,850 to the U.S. Treasury for the evaded taxes. She will serve a period of supervised release following her time in federal prison.