In January, Stephanie Yost, 39, of Tulare, CA, and two other parties pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $241,000 from Faulkner Trucking from 2003 to 2005.
Yost, an office manager, Vickie Ann Kyle and Dustie Denise Lisenbery admitted to duplicating checks and adding illegitimate dollar amounts to their checks.
“Prosecutors showed that Yost received $180,000 in illegitimate expense reimbursements, overtime and vacation. Court documents also said Yost added about $38,000 in illegitimate money to Kyle’s paychecks in a 19-month period, and $23,000 more to Lisenbery’s paychecks.  Additionally, the two co-workers paid Yost 50 percent of the proceeds from the illegitimate paycheck additions. Court documents said Yost tallied the dollar amounts they owed Yost with a 10-key calculator and issued them receipts.” Land Line Magazine reported.
According to U.S. Attorney Benjamin Wagner, the scheme cost Faulkner Trucking an estimated $241,000.
The three faced sentencing last week.
According to an FBI press release, “Stephanie Yost, 39, of Tulare, was sentenced by Chief United States District Judge Anthony W. Ishii to three years and a month in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiring to commit wire fraud and six counts of wire fraud related to an embezzlement scheme she orchestrated with two coworkers, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced. She was also ordered to pay $243,841 in restitution to Faulkner Trucking.
According to Land Line, “This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Mark J. McKeon prosecuted the case. According to court documents, between April 2004 and April 2005, Yost developed a scheme to embezzle money from Faulkner Trucking by preparing duplicate pay checks for herself and co-defendants Vickie Ann Kyle and Dustie Denise Levine. Kyle, a secretary, and Levine, a billing clerk, were each sentenced to 36 months’ probation and $37,940 in restitution.”