Pamela Smith Imprisoned For Woodstock Inn Embezzlement

The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that Pamela Smith, 58, of Barnard, was sentenced on September 22, 2014 in United States District Court in Brattleboro to 15 months of imprisonment following her guilty plea to a charge of wire fraud.  U.S. District Judge J. Garvan Murtha ordered that Smith serve a three-year term of supervised release following completion of her prison term and pay restitution in the amount of $228,675.  The court directed Smith to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on October 28 to begin serving her sentence.

On February 18, 2014, the United States Attorney filed a one-count information charging
Smith with wire fraud.  According to the information, between approximately  2007 and early 2013, Smith was employed by the Shire Riverview Motel in Woodstock, Vermont.  Smith worked part-time as a clerk and also performed bookkeeping services for the inn.  Beginning no later than 2009 and continuing until early 2013, Smith embezzled not less than $210,000 from Shire Riverview.  She did this by writing unauthorized checks to herself from the inn's checking account, then depositing the checks into her personal bank account; by stealing cash payments made by motel guests; and by using Shire Riverview funds to pay her personal expenses, including credit card, gasoline, fuel oil and telephone and Internet service bills.  Smith used about $40,000 in stolen funds to pay for improvements to a house in Barnard.

As part of her plea, Smith agreed to forfeit to the United States about $40,000 in improvements to the Barnard residence.  At the time of sentencing Smith had already repaid the victim about $121,000.

This case was investigated by the Woodstock Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Smith is represented by George Ostler and Cabot Teachout.  The prosecutor is Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Waples.