Press Release
Former Office Manager Sentenced For Wire Fraud
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Georgia
United States Attorney G.F. Peterman, III announces that Maria E. Trenam, age 52, of Cumming, Georgia, previously of Warner Robins, Georgia, was sentenced to serve sixty (60) months imprisonment for one count of wire fraud on September 30, 2016. The sentence was handed down by the Honorable Marc T. Treadwell, U. S. District Court Judge, in Macon, Georgia. As part of the sentence, Ms. Trenam was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $1,178,736.90 and was ordered to forfeit certain property obtained through the fraud, including a bank account, a house, an automobile, and a diamond ring. Following imprisonment, she will be required to serve a term of supervised release for three (3) years.
Ms. Trenam was the office manager of Surgical Associates of Warner Robins, P.C., in Warner Robins, Georgia. Surgical Associates is a health care benefit program providing surgical and other medical services to individuals under public and private plans. As office manager of Surgical Associates, Ms. Trenam had access to the banking and financial records of the business.
Beginning about March 31, 2011, through about August 11, 2015, Ms. Trenam used her position to embezzle money from Surgical Associates totaling $1,178,736.90. She embezzled money in several ways, including making unauthorized cash withdrawals at automated teller machines of financial institutions utilizing her business credit card, writing unauthorized checks to herself on business accounts and concealing the unauthorized checks by falsifying bookkeeping ledger entries, increasing her salary without authorization, using her business credit card to make unauthorized purchases of goods and services, using her business credit card for unauthorized travel and entertainment, and using her business credit card to make unauthorized purchases of goods and services on the internet.
Concerning Count One of the indictment, Ms. Trenam used her Surgical Associates business credit card to make a personal and unauthorized purchase of goods in the amount of $2,289.79 by computer on the internet from the Jo-Ann Fabric and Crafts Store in Ohio.
U.S. Attorney Peterman stated, “Ms. Trenam stole a huge sum of money, more than many people would make in their lifetime. Making it even worse, she stole from her employer, who had trusted her with access to and control over its financial assets. The greed and abuse of trust this theft demonstrates certainly called for the sentence imposed on Ms. Trenam today.”
The case was investigated by the Macon Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and by the Houston County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Paul C. McCommon III prosecuted the case on behalf of the Government.
Inquiries regarding the case should be directed to Pamela Lightsey at the United States Attorney’s Office at 478-621-2603.
Updated October 3, 2016
Topic
Financial Fraud
Component