Lake Charles Woman Sentenced For Wire Fraud

LAFAYETTE, La. –United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that Carol A. Thrasher, 61, of Lake Charles, La., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Richard T. Haik, to three years in prison and three years of supervised release for stealing from her employer.  She was also ordered to pay $551,357 in restitution.

According to evidence presented at the guilty plea on September 30, 2013, Thrasher admitted that from January 2007 to April 2012, while working as a manager for a Westlake, La., company, she stole $551,357.  Thrasher was entrusted with her company’s Midsouth Bank account and used funds from it to pay the balance of a personal Capital One credit card multiple times over the five-year period.  The credit card payments Thrasher made ranged from a few hundred dollars to more than $8,000.  She reportedly used the Capital One card to pay for the majority of her living expenses, and she also stated that she spent the money on gambling, shopping, dining and vacations, and had no assets left to pay the victim.

The U.S. Secret Service conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Myers P. Namie prosecuted the case.