New details have emerged in the case against an eye care center’s former administrator, revealing she not only took money from company accounts, but also took money from the owner’s personal checking account, according to court documents.
Federal investigators believe Sherea Darnell, 33, took over $34,000 from her employer’s personal checking account between 2014 and September 2016, making “unauthorized charges including airline travel” for herself, her boyfriend and son, according to a criminal indictment filed Sept. 12.
Darnell allegedly used two Cullom Eye and Laser Center credit cards and the owner’s Wells Fargo Visa card to embezzle over $500,000, documents state. Darnell handled the company’s accounting, ordering supplies and overseeing other administrative staff.
The eye care center is part of the Riverside Health System. A spokesperson for Riverside declined to comment on the case against Darnell.
She is charged with 14 counts of wire fraud, 22 counts of bank fraud, one count of use of an unauthorized access device, and 3 counts of filing false tax returns, documents state.
Darnell resigned in September 2016, shortly after taking the money from her employer’s personal account, documents state.
The company credit cards were intended to cover monthly expenses, including buying equipment and paying for authorized business travel. The owner’s personal bank information, however, was never authorized for “any purpose whatsoever,” according to documents.
“Darnell used R.C’s personal VISA credit card with intent to defraud R.C.,” the indictment reads.
The embezzlement started in 2012, amounting to $2,188.26. By 2015, the amount had increased to $189,748.12, documents state.
The theft stopped abruptly in September 2016, after Darnell moved to Michigan, documents state.
A federal indictment alleges Darnell used the company credit cards to pay for her son’s private school tuition at The Goddard School, maid services for her home, entertainment, dining, clothing, jewelry and airline travel for Darnell and her family to resorts around the world. Court documents state over $90,000 in cash advances were also made on the cards.
She is accused of spending money at high-end retail shops such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Ralph Lauren and Chanel, documents state.
The Internal Revenue Service is also charging Darnell with not reporting over $431,724.39 in income from 2013 to 2015, documents state.
