Appleton Woman Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud and Tax Evasion

Matthew D. Krueger, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that Lisa A. Radtke (Age 51), of Appleton, Wisconsin, appeared in federal court in Green Bay and pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud (18 U.S.C. §1343) and one count of tax evasion (26 U.S.C. §  7201). Based on her guilty pleas, Radtke faces up to 25 years in prison and fines of up to $500,000, or both. Radtke also agreed to make restitution to her former employer, which was the victim of her fraud, in the amount of $1.3 million, as well as to the Internal Revenue Service for the taxes she failed to pay, plus penalties and interest on those taxes, in the amount of $634,000.

Radtke’s sentencing is scheduled for January 27, 2020, also in Green Bay.

According to documents filed in federal court in conjunction with Radtke’s guilty plea, during the period from 2014 until she was fired in October 2018, Radtke used her position at her former employer to carry out a scheme to defraud the business.  Radtke made numerous fraudulent entries in her employer’s books and records and issued payments from the business’s bank accounts to herself and for her personal benefit.  For example, Radtke repeatedly issued electronic payments from her employer’s bank accounts to pay her personal credit card accounts. Radtke also issued checks from her employer’s bank account that appeared to be payable to legitimate vendors, but were, in fact, deposited to Radtke’s personal bank account.Radtke made additional, fraudulent payments to herself that were included in her payroll, as well as issuing payroll to an account she maintained in her husband’s name despite the fact that her husband was not employed at the company. As a result of her scheme, Radtke stole more than $1.3 million from her employer. Radtke spent the vast majority of the stolen funds on luxury cruises and vacations.

The tax evasion charge is based on Radtke’s failure to report and pay taxes on the stolen money.  For the years 2014-2018, these taxes totaled more than $360,000.

This matter was investigated by agents of the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations in conjunction with local law enforcement and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Matthew L. Jacobs.

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