By: ELIZABETH WEST
Associate Editor
On February 14, 2017, United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that Misty Johnson, of St. Landry, was sentenced to 57 months in prison for stealing more than $116,000.00 from her former employer - an Opelousas-based medical imaging business.
A press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office stated that the 40-year-old “was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Donald E. Walter on one count each of wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and theft of mail,” after she pled guilty to the crimes on July 12, 2016.”
According to the release, Johnson “worked as an office manager” for the medical imaging services business from “January 2009 to July 2014,” and that “she was responsible for day-to-day financial operations including billing, payroll and managing accounts payable and receivable.”
Johnson’s “responsibilities included access to the company’s financial information and mail,” and she “had the signatory authority on business accounts and was provided a company credit card for making purchases.”
According to the press release, Johnson “would write checks to herself or to cash, issue herself additional paychecks and make unauthorized purchases on the company credit card. She would then alter the company’s account records to look as though she was properly paying the company’s bills.”
Along with these actions, Johnson “also stole company mail including past-due bills and brought them to her home.”
Her “theft totaled $258,128.78.”
In addition to her 57 month prison sentence, Johnson was also ordered to pay the total amount of money that was stolen.
Those involved in delivering justice were the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, who conducted the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dominic Rossetti and John Luke Walker, who prosecuted the case.