Glynn County woman sentenced to federal prison for defrauding real estate company

BRUNSWICK, GA:  A Glynn County woman who managed the office of a real estate company has been sentenced to prison for siphoning off more than a quarter of a million dollars from her employer.

Tabitha Dobi, 46, of Brunswick, was sentenced to 33 months in prison after pleading guilty to Wire Fraud, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood also ordered Dobi to pay $251,569 in restitution and to serve three years of supervised release upon completion of her prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

“Tabitha Dobi misused her position to defraud hundreds of thousands of dollars from an employer who trusted her,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “This sentence holds her accountable for her fraudulent activity.”

As described in court records and testimony, a real estate company located in St. Simons spurred an investigation after a missing cash deposit led to the discovery of discrepancies in their financial records.

FBI investigators determined that Dobi, the company’s office manager for four years, used her position to steal cash deposits intended for the company’s property rentals, then manipulating the company’s accounting system to conceal the thefts.

Dobi also instructed one rental tenant to pay her directly through an online payment app and used the money for her personal benefit, and allowed friends to stay at the company’s rental properties without charge and without the company’s authorization.

As a result of those schemes, the company lost $251,569.

“Dobi violated the trust placed in her by her employer and will now spend time in prison paying for her crimes,” said Will Clarke, Supervisory Senior Resident Agent of FBI Atlanta’s Brunswick office. “Hopefully, this sentence sends a message that the FBI is dedicated to working with our partners to protect companies from anyone seeking to defraud them for their own personal greed.”

The case was investigated by the FBI, and prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew A. Josephson.