Ellicott City Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for Wire Fraud

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Adam B. Abelson sentenced, Jennifer Tinker, 42, of Ellicott City, Maryland, to 70 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for wire fraud, in connection with Tinker’s embezzlement of more than $1.1 million from two separate employers.

Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – Baltimore Field Office.

According to the guilty plea, between January 2020 and November 2023, Tinker defrauded a real estate agency (Real Estate Agency 1) that she worked for by transferring more than $1 million of company funds through wire transfers, Zelle payments, checks, and ACH to her personal bank accounts. Tinker fraudulently embezzled funds from the real estate agency’s accounts – including its escrow, operating, and commission accounts.

Tinker hid the transfers by listing fictitious “recipients” on the wire transfer paperwork to make them appear legitimate. She then wired the stolen funds into her personal bank accounts. Between approximately February 2021 and November 2023, Tinker wired money to her personal accounts more than 90 times. Additionally, Tinker made false and fraudulent edits and entries into her employer’s internal accounting records to conceal the transfers.

Tinker used the funds that she stole from Real Estate Agency 1 to pay for luxury goods and personal expenditures such as vacations, Taylor Swift tickets, and five different vehicles. The defendant continued to embezzle Real Estate Agency 1’s funds until her supervisors uncovered her scheme in November 2023. Real Estate Agency 1 then immediately terminated her employment.

After Real Estate Agency 1 terminated Tinker’s employment, she continued her fraudulent conduct with a new employer—Non-Profit 1. Beginning on or about May 2024, and continuing through on or about January 2025, Tinker embezzled funds from Non-Profit 1’s bank accounts. Specifically, Tinker made repeated fraudulent transfers of funds held in Non-Profit 1’s operating account to pay off her personal payment card account with Apple/Goldman Sachs. Tinker also redirected transfers intended to pay Non-Profit 1’s rent into her personal account with Discover.

Tinker’s embezzlement of Non-Profit 1 continued before and after she pleaded guilty to defrauding Real Estate Agency 1. In relevant court proceedings, Tinker made misrepresentations to the court about accepting responsibility for her fraudulent conduct and about her employment at Non-Profit 1 to continue defrauding Non-Profit 1.

On December 6, 2024, at her initial appearance, Tinker represented to the court that she was not a financial risk to Non-Profit 1 and did not have access to Non-Profit 1’s bank accounts, but this was false. In the four weeks following her initial appearance, Tinker made 13 fraudulent transfers from Non-Profit 1’s operating account to her Apple/Goldman Sachs payment card account. These transfers continued through January 2025, when Non-Profit 1 discovered Tinker’s embezzlement and terminated her employment for gross misconduct. In total, Tinker stole more than $100,000 from Non-Profit 1.

U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI for its work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph L. Wenner who is prosecuting the federal case, and recognized Paralegal Specialist Joanna B.N. Huber, for her valuable assistance.

For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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