Woman who Embezzled $2.2 Million from her Employer Admits to Bank Fraud, Tax Evasion

A Bixby woman pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday for committing bank fraud when she embezzled nearly $2.2 million from her employer over a period of nine years, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. She further admitted to failing to pay taxes on the embezzled “income” in 2020.

Christine Fletcher pleaded guilty to bank fraud and tax evasion. As part of her plea agreement, Fletcher will pay at least $2,188,870 in restitution to her former employer and $62,067 to the IRS for unpaid taxes in 2020. A federal judge will sentence Fletcher and determine the final restitution amounts at a later date.

Fletcher worked for a company and various other entities owned by her employer for approximately 38 years. She was entrusted to manage her employer’s various Bank of Oklahoma Financial (BOKF) and Trust Company of Oklahoma bank accounts. She was also entrusted with preparing and providing financial statements and related information to the company’s tax preparer. 

In her plea agreement, Fletcher admitted that from December 2012 to approximately May 2021, she embezzled funds for her own personal gain from her employer in the approximate amount of $2, 188,870.

To avoid being detected, she routinely made unauthorized transfers between and among various BOKF and Trust Company of Oklahoma accounts before misappropriating the funds for her own personal use. One of the many ways she fraudulently moved money, included making unauthorized transfers from some accounts into a specific individual’s account. From there, Fletcher prepared forged checks bearing the individual’s name and made the checks payable to herself or on her own behalf. Fletcher also admitted to routinely paying her credit card bills with the unauthorized and forged checks.

Additionally, she admitted that for tax year 2020, she failed to report income she had obtained illegally in the amount of $289,810, thus failing to pay over $62,067 in taxes to the United States Treasury.

The U.S. Secret Service conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David D. Whipple and Thomas E. Buscemi are prosecuting the case.