Accountant and Sister Embezzled $1.5 Million from Employer
Margaret Ward Heilman was sentenced to 20 months of confinement for embezzling $1.5 million dollars. Heilman was a bookkeeper for the victim business. Photo credit: Florence County Detention Center.
Stole From the ‘Books’ While Pretending to Keep Them
Heilman worked as an accountant for a business in Florence County, which gave her access to the company’s bank accounts and signature authority, say prosecutors. Starting in 2014, Heilman began to write checks to herself and others, including her sister, Gray. That money was later used for personal expenses. When Heilman wrote checks to herself and her friends, she tried to make them look like legitimate business expenses on the business’s general ledger.
Heilman worked in this company for 25 years, according to charging documents obtained by The Daily Muck.
Based on the information, Heilman defrauded the company out of around $1.5 million.
Light Sentence for Hefty Theft
Despite stealing more than a million dollars, both Heilman and her sister will serve less than two years in prison for their crimes.
United States District Judge Joseph Dawson III sentenced Heilman, as the ringleader of the fraud, to 20 months behind bars and three years of court-ordered supervision, according to the press release.
The judge also ordered Heilman to pay $1.5 million in restitution. She already has deposited $200,000 of that in a court trust account. She must also turn over vehicles and cash found at her home and was ordered to pay the remaining amount of her theft in the near future. Heilman agreed to forfeit anything she purchased using money she obtained via fraud.
Grey, Heilman’s sister and accomplice, will have to spend seven months in prison and pay $234,131.82 in restitution, along with three more years under court-ordered supervision, according to Judge Dawson’s decision.
Guilty Plea
The sisters’ seemingly lenient sentence resulted from their guilty plea on March 28, 2024.
In their plea, they accepted responsibility for their actions, avoiding potential higher sentences if the case went to court.
Leniency Request
Heilman’s lawyers requested leniency in sentencing, according to a defense memo obtained by The Daily Muck. They cited Heilman’s health issues and age as reasons to approve the request. Heilman is older than 96.9 percent of all federal inmates, according to Bureau of Prison statistics.
The Secret Service and Florence County Sheriff’s Office investigated this case.
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