Thursday, April 12, 2012

Diane Schumacher: Former Financial Services Employee Charged in Million-Dollar Theft Case

LOS ANGELES – A former account manager at a Los Angeles financial services firm accused of stealing more than $4.6 million from 16 victims over an almost six-year span is expected to be arraigned today, the District Attorney’s Office announced. Daniel Baker, assistant head deputy of the Major Fraud Division, said Diane Schumacher, 58 (dob 9/14/53), of Beverly Hills, is due to be arraigned in Department 30 of the Foltz Criminal Justice Center. Schumacher, who is charged with 17 counts of grand theft of personal property in case No. BA395850, surrendered to authorities this morning on a criminal complaint filed for arrest warrant on April 5. The complaint includes excessive-taking allegations because the theft exceeds $4 million. The alleged offenses took place between November 2003 and August 2009 while Schumacher was employed by Keepers Financial Corporation, a company that provides bookkeeping and bill payment services. The alleged theft was discovered through an audit of accounts managed by the defendant, according to the charging document. Schumacher’s alleged theft ranged from about $22,000 to more than $690,000 from individual clients. The defendant purportedly used client funds to pay her creditors and also to conceal her crimes by replenishing looted accounts with money from the accounts of other clients, the prosecutor said. Schumacher, who was employed by Keepers for 12 years, was terminated in late 2009. The defendant’s bail is recommended at $4.654 million. If convicted as charged, Schumacher faces a maximum state prison term of 22 years, eight months. The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating the case. Deputy District Attorney Melissa Decker Cheslock is assigned to the case.
Enhanced by Zemanta

No comments: