A Kansas City woman is accused of stealing more than $16,000 from American Consultants in Riverside.
According to the probable cause statement, Stephanie Lynn Massey, 40, allegedly produced fraudulent payroll checks to persons no longer employed by the company and deposited the checks into her private bank accounts. Massey faces up to seven years in prison and/or a fine of no more than $20,000.
The statement shows the amount of money allegedly stolen by Massey to be approximately $16,704.14.
The investigation into the alleged stealing began in July of 2007 after Riverside police were contacted by an official with American Consultants, who said Massey had created the fraudulent checks between November 2006 and March 2007, according to documents. During the five month period, Massey was in charge of the payroll accounts for the company.
On July 30, Massey arrived at the Riverside police station after being contacted by an officer earlier in the day. According to the document, an officer showed Massey the pages outlining the fraudulent payroll checks and the checks then being direct deposited into her accounts.
In the probable cause statement, the officer recounts, “Massey at first denied any knowledge of how the checks could have been deposited into her accounts. As the interview progressed, she later confessed to the stealing. She related that her husband’s checks were being garnished to the point where he was bringing home very little money and making the fake checks was the only way they could survive the financial hardship.”
According to the statement, when the officer obtained Massey’s bank statements they matched the company’s records showing deposits in the accounts.
Massey is scheduled to have a preliminary hearing before Judge Abe Shafer on Thursday morning in the Platte County Courthouse.