An Oklahoma City woman charged with embezzling over a million dollars from the local car dealership with whom she was formerly employed pleaded guilty earlier this month to charges of mail fraud and tax evasion.
Fraud Charges
Debra A. Minshall, also known as Debra Alzubi, was indicted in January on charges of taking money from City Chevrolet for the purposes of paying off her personal credit card debt. According to prosecutors, Minshall wrote check's on the dealership's account and sent them to her own bank to make payments on her credit cards.
The indictment alleges that she disguised the checks as lien payments for vehicles that either did not exist, did not require payment, or whose liens were held by other banks. In addition to the alleged embezzlement and mail fraud, Minshall is accused of tax evasion for failing to report over $200,000 in taxable income for the tax years 2006-2008.
While Minshall's sentencing is still a few months away, she faces a possible sentence of a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Additionally, as part of her plea agreement, she must forfeit any profit from her fraud and must pay restitution to her former employer, City Chevrolet.
An earlier post details the possible consequences of Oklahoma embezzlement, which generally include fines, restitution, and jail time. Mail fraud is a federal offense in which the United States Postal Service is used in the commission of the attempt to illegally obtain money.
In the case described above, Minshall mailed the fraudulent checks to her bank, which added mail fraud to her list of charges.
Legal Defense for Fraud or Embezzlement
If you are charged with mail fraud, embezzlement, tax evasion, or other white collar crime in Oklahoma, contact a law firm that specializes in these types of cases immediately. An experienced Oklahoma fraud attorney can help defend you against inaccurate charges or mitigate the circumstances surrounding your arrest if you have, in fact, broken the law. If you believe you may have done something illegal, seek counsel as soon as possible to help preserve and protect your rights.
