JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Beth Phillips, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Columbia, Mo., woman pleaded guilty in federal court today to tax evasion related to unreported income from the theft of more than $257,000 from her employer.

Christine Diane Todd, 36, of Columbia, waived her right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Nanette Laughrey to the charge contained in a federal information.

Todd was employed as the branch credit manager for Major Brands, Inc., in Columbia. By pleading guilty today, Todd admitted that she engaged in a scheme to defraud Major Brands and its customers from January 2003 to October 2006.

In her position as credit manager, Todd’s duties included processing payments that were received from customers, including both cash received from truck drivers and/or salesman and checks that were received in the mail. Todd admitted that she stole a portion of the cash received from the customers, totaling $257,688 over the four-year period.

Todd pleaded guilty to making an income tax return that falsely reported her income in 2005. Todd’s 2006 income tax return did not report $100,832 that she embezzled from Major Brand Foods in 2005.

Under federal statutes, Todd is subject to a sentence of up to three years in federal prison without parole, plus a fine up to $100,000 and an order of restitution. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lawrence E. Miller. It was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation, the FBI and the Columbia, Mo., Police Department.

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