A former accountant for a Richmond-based paving company is accused of embezzling more than $800,000 from the company, according to authorities.
Angela Fae Brown, 53, of Olivehurst, was charged with embezzlement, money laundering, identity theft, and tax evasion, according to a news release from the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office. She was arraigned on the felony charges Tuesday.
According to authorities, Brown engaged in an embezzlement plan from September 2017 to November 2022, stealing more than $800,000 from her job, at Viking Pavers.
“Brown used her accounting skills to exploit financial vulnerabilities in the company to illegally enrich herself for nearly five years,” the district attorney’s office claimed.
According to prosecutors, Brown purported to be the company’s owner and set up a fictitious account with a payment processing provider linked to her own bank account.
According to the district attorney’s office, Brown created hundreds of fraudulent invoices for services, electronically submitted them to the fictitious account she controlled, and then paid them with the company’s funds via the payment processing service.
According to prosecutors, this resulted in the funds being transferred to her personal bank account.
“Brown’s trusted employee status – and access to various financial controls – allowed her to conceal her embezzlement scheme for a long time,” according to the district attorney’s office.
According to investigators, a manager eventually addressed Brown. The Richmond Police Department, along with financial forensic analysts from the district attorney’s office, initiated an investigation that resulted in her arrest on April 19.
According to the district attorney’s office, Brown is being held in Martinez Detention Facility on a $2 million bail.