Former Office Manager Pleads Guilty and is Sentenced for Stealing Approximately $420,000 in Company Funds

St. Louis, MO –Tammy Fox, 49, of Carrolton, Illinois, was sentenced today to twenty months’ imprisonment by United States District Court Judge Audrey Fleissig after pleading guilty to 2 counts of wire fraud related to her former position as Office Manager of Explosive Professionals Midwest, Incorporated, also known as ExPro Midwest.  Fox was also ordered to make restitution to the victim company in the amount of $402,213.76.

According to the Indictment and Plea Agreement, Fox served as the Office Manager for ExPro Midwest in St. Louis County, Missouri.  From January, 2011 through February, 2018 Fox schemed to steal approximately $420,000 from the company.  During that time, Fox issued approximately 215 unauthorized ExPro Midwest checks to herself, which she deposited into her personal bank account.  Fox forged the signature of one of the owners of ExPro Midwest to those unauthorized checks.  Fox spent the stolen funds on personal items and services such as clothing, automobile payments, rent payments, as well as making numerous cash withdrawals.  Fox also issued unauthorized ExPro Midwest company checks to a close personal friend, and deposited those checks into her personal bank account as well.  Fox also used the ExPro Midwest corporate credit card to make unauthorized purchases of personal items, such as airline tickets, general retail items, clothing, and sporting goods.  As Office Manager, Fox caused the company to pay the monthly ExPro Midwest corporate credit card bills, knowing that her unauthorized personal charges were contained in the billings.  In order to conceal her fraud scheme, Fox altered the company’s internal financial records, which she then sent to the company’s outside accountants.  Altogether, Fox’s fraud scheme netted her approximately $420,000 in funds stolen from ExPro Midwest.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated this case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Goldsmith handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.