Bookkeeper Accused Of Embezzling $1.7M From 2 Marin Dealerships

BAY AREA, CA — A former Martinez woman is accused of defrauding two Marin County car dealerships of $1.7 million, according to the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office of Northern California.

Christina Markus, 54, appeared in federal court Tuesday in San Francisco to face an indictment charging her with four counts of wire fraud, U.S. Attorney Stephanie Hinds and FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig Fair said in a statement.

According to federal prosecutors, Markus was employed as a bookkeeper from 2010 until 2018 by two Marin County car dealerships. She held various titles, including office accountant, payroll administrator, payroll clerk and office manager, and her duties ranged from payroll processing and bank reconciliations to posting ledgers for the dealerships using their "dealer management system," or DMS.

It is alleged in the indictment that from January 2014 through October 2018, Markus used the DMS software to create special payrolls for herself, wrote unauthorized checks to herself and created unauthorized bonuses and vacation pay — then moved the funds from the dealerships' bank accounts to personal accounts that she controlled.

To hide her fraud, according to the indictment, Markus is accused of deleting records of the fraudulent checks, bonuses, vacation pay and payroll direct deposits from the dealerships' DMS software, manipulating bank reconciliations and ledgers, and clearing entries from payroll records.

During the nearly five-year period, it is alleged Markus embezzled more than $1.7 million by causing funds to be moved from her employers' accounts to her personal bank accounts, federal prosecutors said.

The prosecution was the result of an investigation by the FBI.

Markus remains out of custody and is scheduled to make her next federal court appearance April 20.

If convicted of all four counts of wire fraud, Markus faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in state prison, a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss amount, three years of probation following prison time, and restitution.