LOS ANGELES – A former finance manager of a television production studio was sentenced Thursday to two years in federal prison for embezzling about $2.5 million from the Culver City company, officials said.
U.S. District Judge George Wu sentenced Nolan Mitchell Ransdell, 41, of Canyon Country and ordered Ransdell to pay $2.4 million as restitution, authorities said.
Ransdell plead guilty to bank fraud and admitted that he stole money from his employer, Studio Lambert USA, which is now known as All3Media America.
In an interview with American Justice Notebook, U.S. Attorney Ranee A. Katzenstein, with the Major Frauds Section, said Ransdell told the court at sentencing that he used most of the embezzled money to gamble. Katzenstein said he told the judge that he had a gambling addiction.
In addition, Ransdell made checks payable to a subordinate, and then instructed that employee to cash the checks and return the money to him. Ransdell also made unauthorized cash withdrawals from Studio Lambert’s bank accounts.
Studio Lambert USA, a subsidiary of a British studio, produced television shows for distribution in the United States, including Undercover Boss.
Studio Lambert’s parent company noticed that the accounting for the production accounts was not consistent with the accounting for the corporate accounts, authorities said.
When asked to explain the differences, officials said Ransdell made up excuses, for instance, saying that discrepancies were the result of payment delays in connection with prepaid debit cards. Once it realized it was the victim of embezzlement, Studio Lambert contacted the FBI and assisted in the investigation, officials said.