30 September 2020
ST. LOUIS– The {former|previous} vice president and {chief|primary} {financial|monetary} officer for a St. Louis {area|location} public relations firm pleaded guilty in
court on Wednesday for {stealing|taking} from her previous {company|business}. Lynese Cargill {also|likewise} {known as|referred to as|called} Lynese Hoffman, 51, {formerly|previously} of St. Louis County, pleaded guilty to {three|3} counts of wire {fraud|scams} {related|associated}
to her {former|previous} position as VP and CFO of {Common Ground|Commonalities} Public Relations, Inc.
She {issued|provided|released} 80 {unauthorized|unapproved} bank checks to herself {written|composed} on {Common Ground|Commonalities}’s {bank account|checking account|savings account} {totaling|amounting to} {nearly|almost}$200,000. She then made {{false|incorrect} and {misleading|deceptive}|{misleading|deceptive} and {false|incorrect}} entries in the internal {financial|monetary} and account records for {the business|business}.
Cargill {also|likewise} had a Citibank MasterCard and American Express {credit card|charge card} {issued|provided|released} by {Common Ground|Commonalities} to be {used|utilized} to {pay for|spend for} {legitimate|genuine} {company|business} {expenses|costs|expenditures}, such as {necessary|required|needed|essential} travel. She {used|utilized} both cards to make {personal|individual} purchases {including|consisting of} {airfare|airline tickets|air travel}, hotels, {automobiles|vehicles|cars|autos}, {clothing|clothes}, cosmetics, medi-spas, {restaurants|dining establishments} and other retail purchases, according to court {documents|files}. The court {documents|files} {said|stated} she made {approximately|roughly|around} 4,000 {unauthorized|unapproved} {transactions|deals} on the {two|2} cards.
She {also|likewise} {applied for|requested|made an application for|obtained|got|looked for} and {obtained|acquired|gotten} {two|2} {different|various} life {insurance|insurance coverage} policies, {but|however} {instead|rather} of {naming|calling} {Common Ground|Commonalities} as the sole {beneficiary|recipient}, which is {required|needed} under the {shareholder|investor} {agreement|contract|arrangement}, she {named|called} her then {husband|hubby|spouse|other half|partner} as the sole {beneficiary|recipient} on both policies. She then made {premium|superior|exceptional} payments on both policies with funds from {Common Ground|Commonalities}’s {bank accounts|checking account|savings account}.
The court {documents|files} {also|likewise} {said|stated} she {used|utilized} {Common Ground|Commonalities} bank funds to {pay for|spend for} charges on {three|3} of her {personal|individual} {credit cards|charge card}.
Cargill moved funds {between|in between} {Common Ground|Commonalities} {bank accounts|checking account|savings account} to {falsely|wrongly|incorrectly} {inflate|pump up} the balance of the {firm|company}’s operating account when she {provided|offered|supplied} {financial|monetary} updates to the president and {chief executive officer|ceo|president} of the {firm|company}. She {faces|deals with} {a potential|a prospective|a possible} statutory {maximum|optimum} sentence {as to|regarding} each count of wire {fraud|scams} of {20 years|twenty years} {imprisonment|jail time} and a fine of $250,000.
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