Lake Charles woman sentenced to 15 months in prison for stealing more than $230,000 from employer

LAKE CHARLES – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that a Lake Charles woman was sentenced to 15 months in prison for stealing more than $230,000 from her employer’s bank account.

Melissa D. Crookshank, 33, of Lake Charles, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Patricia Minaldi on one count of wire fraud. She was also sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $235,155.79 restitution. According to the May 19, 2016 guilty plea, Crookshank, who worked as a bookkeeper for a Hackberry, La., company, stole $235,155.79 from her employer starting in 2009 and continuing until January of 2015. Crookshank issued checks to herself during that time without authorization from the company owners, which she deposited into her own bank accounts for personal use.

The U.S. Secret Service and the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney David C. Joseph prosecuted the case.