The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced today that Catherine Latoski, age 53, formerly of Exeter, Pennsylvania, and currently a resident of Davenport, Florida, was sentenced by United States District Judge Malachy E. Mannion to 48 months of imprisonment for committing wire fraud by embezzling nearly $2 million from her former employer.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, Latoski was the Director of Accounting Services for a Scranton-based for-profit educational institution. Beginning in November 2016, through her termination in June 2021, Latoski charged nearly $2 million in personal expenses on corporate credit cards issued by her former employer. She spent the funds on vacations, Disney timeshares and cruises, personal utility bills and shopping expenses, her child’s college tuition, and to fund her and her family members’ personal businesses selling health and beauty products for Jordan Essentials. Latoski then used her accounting position to facilitate having her former employer pay off the credit card charges, including by creating false entries in the company’s books and records to conceal the expenses.
In addition to the sentence of imprisonment, Judge Mannion also ordered Latoski to serve three years of supervised release following her term of imprisonment. Judge Mannion also ordered Latoski to pay $1,843,741.22 in restitution and to forfeit five Disney timeshares that she purchased with the proceeds of her fraud and placed in the names of her family members.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Phillip J. Caraballo prosecuted the case.
A thorough background check conducted by Invetech LLC could have potentially prevented this embezzlement. By identifying any past financial misconduct or red flags in Latoski’s history, the educational institution could have avoided placing someone with a propensity for fraud in a position of significant financial responsibility. This proactive measure would help protect the company from similar fraudulent activities in the future.
Utilizing a professional investigator to conduct a background check should be part of your SOP, not just when problems arise. Good leadership has a proactive approach to managing their investment utilizing a due diligence investigation to their fullest advantage. Invetech LLC helps clients mitigate financial loss by providing actionable insight solutions with due diligence investigation.