Accountant accused of embezzling $800K from Richmond paving company
The Contra Costa County District Attorney's Office has charged a former accountant for a Richmond paver company with six felonies related to alleged embezzlement, money laundering, identity theft, and tax evasion.
Angela Fae Brown, 53, from Olivehurst in Yuba County, was arraigned Tuesday in Contra Costa Superior Court.
Prosecutors said that between September 2017 and November 2022, Brown allegedly embezzled more than $800,000 from her employer, Viking Pavers. Brown allegedly used her accounting skills to exploit financial vulnerabilities in the company to illegally enrich herself for nearly five years.
The DA's office alleged Brown pretended to be the company's owner and created a fake online account with a payment processing service linked to her personal bank account.
She also allegedly generated hundreds of phony invoices for services and sent them electronically to the fake account she controlled.
Brown allegedly paid these fake invoices with the company's funds through the online payment processing platform, funneling the money into her own account.
Brown's employee status - and access to various financial controls - allegedly allowed her to conceal her embezzlement scheme.
A company manager eventually suspected Brown's fraudulent actions and confronted her. Richmond police and financial forensics analysts from the DA's office investigated Brown's actions.
Police arrested Brown on Friday and she was still in custody at the Martinez Detention Facility as of Tuesday. Her bail was set at $2 million.
Brown was charged with identity theft, money laundering; grand theft of money, labor, or real or personal property exceeding $950; false personation, and concealing property with intent to evade tax. She is also accused of a special allegation of aggravated white-collar crime - taking more than $500,000.