A Central Florida woman stole $3.9 million in an embezzlement scheme and is now facing the consequences.
Colleen Kieran, 57, of Clermont, pled guilty to three charges of wire fraud in connection with a multi-year embezzlement conspiracy.
According to the plea agreement, Kieran worked for a company in Seminole County, where she was responsible for accounting and operations. Beginning in 2009, Kieran utilized her access to the company’s financial accounts to transfer consumer payments to her personal accounts without authorization. Over time, the crime grew to thousands of transfers, totaling more than $3.9 million.
Kieran spent the stolen money on personal costs like clothing, travel, food, entertainment, and consumer electronics.
To conceal the scam and the company’s mounting financial loss, Kieran created phony financial statements and spreadsheets while withholding information from the company’s owners and tax preparer. As the shortages grew, Kieran arranged over $1.5 million in loans in the company’s name, without the owners’ knowledge, to conceal the missing revenue and maintain cash flow appearing solid.
After the fraud was exposed and Kieran was dismissed, her bosses learned that she had also been intercepting the company’s incoming mail and had selectively erased several years’ worth of emails from her company account.
She faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each charge. The court imposed a forfeiture money judgment of roughly $3.9 million against Kieran and ordered her to make restitution in the same amount to the victims of her wire fraud. The United States can collect those penalties from any asset Kieran currently owns or eventually buys.
The Longwood Police Department, the Seminole Financial Crimes Task Force, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are all investigating this Central Florida case. Assistant US Attorney Richard Varadan is prosecuting the case. Nicole Andrejko, Assistant United States Attorney, is handling the forfeiture proceedings. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
On April 7th, the Department of Justice announced the formation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The Fraud Division is dedicated to investigating and punishing those who commit fraud against the American people. The DOJ’s efforts to combat fraud complement President Donald Trump’s Task Force to Eradicate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort led by Vice President J.D. Vance to eradicate fraud, waste, and abuse in federal benefit programs.
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