Greenwich Woman Pleads Guilty to Embezzlement of $176+K from Town Company

A Greenwich woman has pleaded guilty wire fraud in connection with the embezzlement of more than $176,000 from her Greenwich employer.

U.S. Attorney Deirdre M. Daly announced on Wednesday that Michelle Crawford, 33, of Greenwich, waived her right to indictment and pleaded guilty in Hartford federal court to one count of wire fraud stemming from her embezzlement of more than $176,000 when she worked as the office manager for the New England Oil Company (NEOC) located in Greenwich.

As the office manager, Crawford had access to the bank accounts, credit cards and the payment system of NEOC. Between May 2011 and May 2014, Crawford embezzled approximately $176,735 from NEOC by making unauthorized withdrawals and by using company funds to pay personal expenses while disguising them in company records as legitimate NEOC expenses, according to Daly’s office.

Crawford is scheduled to be sentenced July 29 by U.S. District Judge Vanessa L. Bryant. She faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.

The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Secret Service, the Greenwich Police Department and the Connecticut Financial Crimes Task Forcewith Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas P. Morabito prosecuting the case.

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