A North Georgia woman who was employed in the accounting department of a California company has been charged with stealing a half million dollars from her employer.
According to documents from the U.S. Attorney's Office-Northern District of Georgia, Jeannette Elizabeth Ford worked from her home in Blue Ridge, located in Fannin County, for Classic Party Rentals (CPR) of Inglewood, California. Ford was the operations controller in the accounting and finance department of CPR.
"As part of her job as a controller at CPR, Ford was responsible for reconciling and recording CPR employees' corporate credit card transactions within CPR's accounting records," stated the document. "As part of the scheme to defraud, Ford knowingly and willfully used her authority and access as an operations controller to circumvent company controls to charge over $500,000 in unauthorized personal expenses for herself and her family to a corporate credit card issued in her name."
The documents said Ford used the credit card to purchase building and masonry services, furniture and other home furnishings, resort accommodations , cruises and other personal items.
Federal investigators believe the thefts occurred between January 15, 2015 and March 2016.
