Tax & Accounting News

Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison Without Parole For Embezzlement, Tax Scheme

Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison Without Parole For Embezzlement, Tax Scheme

A Missouri woman has been sentenced to federal prison without parole for conducting a scheme to embezzle funds from her employer while evading taxes.

According to Springfield, MO news outlet KY3, Carrie Leigh Long, 52, will serve three years and five months in federal prison without the possibility of parole. Judge Stephen R.. Bough also ordered the defendant to pay $1,329,440 in restitution -- $362,175 to her former employer and $1,071,802 to the IRS. 

She is also required to forfeit $362,175 to the U.S. government. 

Between February 2016 and September 2020, Long embezzled over $362,000 from her employer, Executive Coach Builders, Inc., and evaded nearly $1 million in business payroll taxes and personal income taxes.

Long was hired in April 2014 as an in-house accountant. Per KY3's report:

...[She] admitted that she stole at least $362,175 from the companies from February 2016 to September 2020. Long also admitted that she failed to pay approximately $902,226 of employment taxes the companies owed to the IRS. By not making these payments, Long created a pool of funds in the companies’ bank accounts from which she continued her embezzlement scheme.

The IRS Criminal Investigation division shared that Long stole from Executive Coach Builders -- a firm that constructs luxury limousines --  at least 198 times. KY3 noted that when the company’s owner confronted her with evidence of her embezzlement scheme, she lied to him, forcing him to hire an accounting firm to launch a formal investigation.

Furthermore, starting in April 2019, Long ceased to make regular payments to the IRS for the employment taxes owed by her employer. When an IRS agent attempted to collect the missing tax payments, Long falsely claimed they had been paid, even going so far as to provide forged bank statements as "proof."

This is not the first time Long has found herself in legal hot water due to tax fraud. Per KY3:

On Oct. 21, 2013, she pleaded guilty in the Circuit Court of Laclede County, Mo., to stealing more than $88,000 from a client of her then-accounting firm employer. As in this federal case, she stole by forging checks made payable to herself and endorsed in her own name against the victim’s bank account. Long received a suspended five-year sentence, was ordered to serve 90 days of shock time, placed on probation for five years, and ordered to pay restitution to her victim within 30 days of her sentencing.

Her mother paid the restitution in the prior case. 

Long's latest sentencing comes after she pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of failure to pay over employment taxes on April 25, 2022. 

What do you think about this case?

You Might Also Enjoy:

share this post
Search for matches...
Rebekah Barton

Rebekah Barton

Rebekah's search engine optimization career began completely by accident as a college student. Over the course of her career so far, she has "grown up" with the SEO industry, from writing content while juggling classes to managing her own teams of writers and overseeing SEO strategy in subsequent roles. She is excited to bring her passion for high-quality content to CountingWorks, Inc.

Recommended Professionals

In the face of economic uncertainty, TaxBuzz is the industry's most up-to-date tax information.

Join 60,000 who get our weekly newsletter. No spam.

Need help selecting a firm?

Use our specialized search engine and get matched to the best accounting and tax firm for your needs.

Related Posts

Latest Posts