Former employee allegedly stole more than $300,000 from Black & Veatch

A Lee’s Summit woman was charged Tuesday with embezzling more than $300,000 from Black & Veatch. where she worked as global payroll manager.

Patricia Webb, 43, worked for the engineering, consulting and construction company until earlier this month when she was suspended without pay, according to documents filed in U.S. District Court in Kansas City where she was charged with wire fraud.

An FBI investigation determined that Webb, who earned a $90,000 yearly salary, allegedly transferred money from a Black & Veatch account to her personal business account on six occasions between July 2015 and February. The total loss was $302,183, according to the allegations.

She allegedly spent more than $106,000 at casinos, according to the court documents. She also allegedly spent money for trips to Thailand, Las Vegas and Miami and made $61,000 in ATM withdrawals.

She made her first appearance in federal court Wednesday afternoon and was released on a personal recognizance bond.

This story was originally published March 15, 2016 at 3:32 PM with the headline "Former employee allegedly stole more than $300,000 from Black & Veatch."