Former Nevada Power Employee Pleads Guilty to Federal Wire Fraud Charges for Theft of $1.6 Million from Company Bank Account
Las Vegas, Nev. – A former Nevada Power employee pleaded guilty today to federal wire fraud charges for stealing at least $1.6 million from a Nevada Power bank account between 2002 and 2006, announced Greg Brower, United States Attorney for the District of Nevada.
Kyle Roher, 38, of Las Vegas, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge James C. Mahan to two counts of Wire Fraud and agreed to the forfeiture of over $1.7 million. Roher was indicted in April 2008 and has been released on a personal recognizance bond.
According to court records, Roher was employed as a Senior Business Analyst at Nevada Power and was responsible for financial planning. Roher allegedly devised and executed a scheme to steal money from a Nevada Power "general spending" bank account by preparing forged wire transfer forms which authorized disbursements from the Nevada Power bank account to two bank accounts that Roher controlled at Bank of America. Between September 30, 2002, and October 26, 2006, Roher submitted approximately 19 such forms for unauthorized disbursements, causing the transfer of over $1.6 million to his Bank of America accounts. In October 2006, after discovering Roher's fraudulent scheme, Bank of America froze disbursements to Roher's accounts including another $100,000 wire transfer which Roher had fraudulently authorized.
The sentencing hearing is set for November 12, 2008, at 10:30 a.m. The final sentence will be decided by the Court; however, the maximum period of imprisonment that can be imposed under federal statutes on each count is 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The case is being investigated by the United States Secret Service and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey T. Tao.
