Funeral home bookkeeper stole over $500,000 over 8 years in NH, feds say. ‘Egregious’
A North Carolina woman will serve more than two years in prison for stealing over half a million dollars while working for a funeral home, federal prosecutors said.
Over eight years, LaSaundra Simmons, 52, pocketed $541,381 from Farewell Funeral Service Inc. in Nashua, New Hampshire, where she was employed as a bookkeeper, according to a Sept. 12 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Hampshire.
“Ms. Simmons’s conduct was egregious, long-running, and did great harm to a third-generation New Hampshire small business,” U.S. Attorney Jane Young said in a statement.
Court records say Simmons made more than 100 unauthorized wire transfers from the funeral home’s account to her personal account between June 30, 2015 and Jan. 4, 2023.
She did so using false transaction descriptions, including bogus holiday bonuses, commissions, consulting and reimbursements, according to court records.
When Simmons was arrested in 2023, she had been living in North Carolina, InDepthNH.org reported. She pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud earlier this year, federal prosecutors said.
“LaSaundra Simmons betrayed the trust of the family-run funeral home where she worked,” Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division said in a statement.
Simmons’ attorney did not immediately respond to McClatchy News’ requests for comment Sept. 13.
Simmons was ordered to pay $541,381 in restitution, according to officials.
This story was originally published September 13, 2024 at 12:55 PM with the headline "Funeral home bookkeeper stole over $500,000 over 8 years in NH, feds say. ‘Egregious’."
