Press Release
BROWARD COUNTY WOMAN SENTENCED FOR SCHEME TO DEFRAUD ST. MAURICE CATHOLIC CHURCH OF OVER $800,000
March 3, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
R. Alexander Acosta, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Michael E. Yasofsky Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation, announced today that defendant, Joann Bolliger, of Broward County, Florida, was sentenced late Friday afternoon, February 29, 2008, by United States District Judge William Zloch to one year and a day in federal prison, to be followed by a two year period of supervised release. The defendants was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount $800,000. Bolliger had previously pled guilty on December 18, 2007 to conspiring to defraud St. Maurice Catholic Church in Dania, Florida by counterfeiting the securities of the organization, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 513(a).
Bolliger, who worked as a bookkeeper at St. Maurice Catholic Church, conspired with another church employee to forge and alter payroll and other checks belonging to the church and then negotiated over $800,000 in checks for their personal enrichment.
Mr. Acosta commended the investigative efforts of the Internal Revenue Service. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Thomas P. Lanigan.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
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