A Texas woman pleaded guilty Thursday in Texas for a scheme to embezzle at least $29 million from her employer – a charitable foundation and several other companies run by a Dallas family, officials stated.
According to court documents, Barbara Chalmers, 74, of Lewisville, admitted that starting in at least 2012, she abused her position as bookkeeper for the family’s companies and her signatory authority over the companies’ bank accounts to fraudulently write herself at least 175 checks, which she deposited into her accounts.
To conceal her fraudulent conduct, she provided false paperwork to tax preparers misstating the year-end cash-on-hand numbers for the accounts she was embezzling.
Court documents indicate that she used more than $25 million of the stolen money to fund a construction business for which she was the president.
Chalmers pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering. She faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI is investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Vasanth Sridharan and Lucy Jennings of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas are prosecuting the case.