Former Employee of Realty Company Indicted for $250K Fraud

NORFOLK, Va. – Lindsay Kneff, 36, of Virginia Beach, was indicted by a federal grand jury today on six counts of wire fraud, six counts of mail fraud, one count of falsely altering Postal Service money orders and three counts of engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property.

According to the indictment, Kneff was employed in the Virginia Beach office of Rose & Womble Realty Company in a managerial position and was responsible for overseeing the processing of commissions and accounts payable.  Between January 2014 and August 2015, Kneff is alleged to have written checks on the Rose & Womble operating account to pay her personal expenses.  Kneff made unauthorized wire transfers into her own accounts and altered Rose & Womble money orders by writing in her own name as the payee, resulting in a $255,147.20 loss for the company.

Kneff faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on each of the wire and mail fraud counts, five years on the count charging false alteration of Postal Service money orders, and 10 years on each of the counts for engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property, if convicted. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Brian J. Ebert, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after Kneff’s’s initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert J. Krask. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan M. Salsbury is prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:16-cr-139.

An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.