LOS ANGELES
A Riverside woman who was the controller at a Fontana-based metal forging company was sentenced Thursday to one year and one day in federal prison for embezzling more than $1.5 million from her employer, according to federal officials.
Jacquelin Dyer, 68, who was the controller and co-general manager at Pacific ForgeInc., was sentenced by U.S.District Judge George H. Wu.
In addition to the prison term, which Dyer will begin serving next week, Judge Wu ordered her to pay $1,365,556 in restitution to the victim company.
As the controller of Pacific Forge, Dyer was responsible for all aspects of accounting at the company, and she was authorized to sign corporate checks for amounts up to $5,000, according to officials.
According to court documents, Dyer used Pacific Forge corporate checks to pay her personal bills for about 10 years.
Dyer printed and signed corporate checks that she made appear would be used to pay Pacific Forge vendors, but in reality were mailed to pay her personal expenses.
Dyer pleaded guilty in September to a mail fraud charge specifically related to a $4,752 check that she mailed to American Express on Jan. 11, 2013 to pay her personal credit card bill.
Dyer made false entries in the Pacific Forge books to make this check appear to be a payment to a vendor.
“[F]or about a decade, [Dyer] embezzled and stole over $1.5 million of funds that had been entrusted to her by her employer,” prosecutors wrote in papers filed with the court. “[Dyer] used this money to pay her credit card expenses, her mortgage, her car repairs, and other personal expenditures.”
In total, Dyer embezzled approximately $1.5 million of Pacific Forge funds to pay for her mortgage, personal tax payments, and vehicle repair expenses.
Dyer has already paid $160,000 in restitution.
This case was investigated by the FBI, which received substantial assistance from the Fontana Police Department.
The case against Dyer was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bilal A. Essayli of the Riverside Branch Office.