Politics & Government
Mass. Woman Gets 4 Years In Prison After Stealing $587K From Employer
Jessica Pechtel of North Andover, Massachusetts, embezzled the money from her Somersworth employer across 18 months; bought herself a boat.
CONCORD, NH — A former employee of a New Hampshire company is heading to prison for four years after embezzling nearly $600,000 across 18 months, including federal coronavirus relief funds.
Jessica Pechtel, 35, of North Andover, Massachusetts, and formerly of Springvale, Maine, was the office manager of a Somersworth company and had access to its finances including bank accounts, records, and a company credit card.
During the course of about 18 months, she schemed to hide unauthorized purchases on Amazon, Venmo transfers, and checks owned by the company made out to herself. She authorized seventeen checks to herself drawn on the company’s account and even purchased herself a boat. Pechtel also stole $44,000 in coronavirus relief funds.
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“The defendant brazenly stole from her trusted employer’s funds, including COVID-19 relief funds the company received to help it through the pandemic,” U.S. Attorney Jane Young said. “In a sophisticated effort to cover her crimes, she manipulated the company’s record-keeping. The repeated cunning that the defendant employed allowed her to steal more than a half-million dollars.”
Pechtel also hid the embezzlement and created a PayPal account in the name of another person to transfer funds. She also made it appear as if the funds were being transferred to legitimate vendors.
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All told, she stole $587,219 funds from her employers. Pechtel pleaded guilty to a single count of wire fraud in March. Along with the U.S. Secret Service, Somersworth and Nashua police worked on the case.
“The U.S. Secret Service is committed to investigating complex fraud schemes that significantly damage the financial stability of small business owners in New Hampshire,” Timothy Benitez, Resident Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service, said. “The outcome is a direct result of the coordination between local law enforcement participating on the Secret Service New England Cyber Fraud Task Force.”
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