Office Manager Indicted for Embezzling Nearly $490,000 from Sterling-Based Landscaping Company

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – LeeAnn Dove, 48, of Herndon, Va., was indicted by a federal grand jury earlier this week of embezzling nearly $490,000 from a landscaping company based in Sterling, Va.

            Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, David E. Beach, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service’s Washington Field Office, and Steve Simpson, Loudoun County Sheriff made the announcement.

Dove was indicted on six counts of wire fraud, one count of mail fraud, and eight counts of bank fraud.  If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each wire and mail fraud count and 30 years in prison for each bank fraud count.

            According to the indictment, Dove was employed by Great Falls Landscapes, a landscape design and construction company based in Sterling.  From December 2004 to November of 2010, Dove used her position to add fake employees to the company’s payroll, whose paychecks she deposited into her personal bank account.  During her six-year scheme, Dove also used company credit cards for personal purchases, including electronics, furniture, limousine services, concert tickets, and thousands of dollars in gift cards.

            The case is being investigated by the U.S. Secret Service and the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office as part of the Washington Metropolitan Area Fraud Task Force.  Assistant United States Attorney Paul J. Nathanson is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

            Criminal indictments are only charges and not evidence of guilt.  A defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.