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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Ex-bookkeeper sentenced after embezzling $93,000 from company in Leesburg

Kathleen Joy Fifer
Kathleen Joy Fifer

An ex-bookkeeper at a Leesburg company has been sentenced for embezzling more than $93,000 from her employer.

Kathleen Joy Fifer, 53, who lived in Brooksville at the time of her arrest, was sentenced Thursday to 60 days in jail, 15 years of probation, fines and costs totaling $1,173 as well as restitution.

Fifer was arrested in 2018 for embezzling funds from her employer, Bach Logistics, a trucking and asphalt paving company, based in Leesburg. The company works throughout Central Florida and has 20 employees.

During a medical leave, it was discovered that Fifer set her company computer to automatically log into her credit card and social media accounts. Family members had been inquiring through Facebook asking which fuel cards they should be using. Fifer and family members, some as far away as Texas, had been using 15 company WEX fuel cards, according to an arrest report from the Leesburg Police Department. Fifer reportedly changed the settings on the credit cards so they could be used for all types of purchases, including alcohol and cigarettes. An investigation uncovered more than $69,000 in purchases on the fuel cards. The report noted that all of the fuel purchases were for unleaded gasoline, when all of the company vehicles use diesel.

Fifer also diverted more than $4,000 in company funds to pay her Nissan auto loan and more than $16,000 to pay her credit card bills.

The Ohio native, who was said to be a mother figure to all those working at Bach Logistics. During her sentencing hearing she testified, as did the owner of Bach Logistics. She presented a number of letters from persons who knew her, including her current employer, Country Pickins Flea Market, LLC of Doniphan, Mo. Her new employer said in his letter to the court that since her hiring on March 7, 2022 “she has been nothing but loyal. She is one of our best employees with always showing up to work on time, working in a timely manner and staying on task until the task is completed.” He went on to state that “she is a great asset to the Country Pickens Flea Market company.” Her new employer stated that Fifer works 32 hours per week and earns $11 per hour.

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