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Press Release
WASHINGTON – KaShaun Perkins, 43, of Upper Marlboro, Md., was sentenced today to 21 months in prison on a federal charge of wire fraud for embezzling from his employer, causing a loss in excess of $275,000, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips.
Perkins pled guilty to the charge in February 2017 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Christopher R. Cooper. Following his prison term, Perkins will be placed on three years of supervised release. He also is required to pay $249,096 in restitution, and a forfeiture money judgment in the same amount.
According to a statement of the offense, signed by the defendant as well as the government, Perkins worked as a payroll specialist from December 2014 to July 2015 at a global consulting firm. As a payroll specialist, he managed external payroll provider services in order to ensure salaries were accurately and timely processed for payments. Perkins also updated the payroll and human resources information systems with bank account numbers, Social Security numbers, addresses, and names of employees and maintained these employee records.
From January to July 2015, according to the statement of offense, Perkins caused his employer to pay out approximately $275,000 in bogus salary and tax withholding payments for “ghost” employees. Perkins altered a terminated employee’s payroll profile, repeatedly changing entries such as name, Social Security number, bank account number, address, and salary payments. In fact, none of the altered data corresponded to an actual employee. Through these changes to the payroll system, Perkins caused the unauthorized salary payments to be directly deposited into accounts in his name, accounts with his joint ownership, and accounts under his control. By directing the payroll provider service to make these payments, Perkins obtained “salary” payments of “ghost” employees totaling $249,096. The employer paid an additional $26,092 in tax withholdings, for a total loss of $275,188.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips expressed appreciation for the work performed by Forensic Accountant Jean Luc Guerrier of the Fraud and Public Corruption Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, as well as Paralegal Specialist Christopher Toms, Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane Lucas, who assisted with forfeiture issues, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Virginia Cheatham, who prosecuted the case.