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Embezzlement doubles law-firm exec’s income, but earns prison time

By
June 23, 2016

A Dunwoody woman was sentenced Thursday to a year and a half in prison after she pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $230,000 an Atlanta law firm.

Mary Suzanne Creach, 53, served as an Atlanta firm’s executive director from August 2013 until June 2015, U.S. Attorney John Horn said in a news release.

During that time, Horn said, she created bank transfers and payroll adjustments that nearly doubled her six-figure salary.

Creach “used her position to embezzle money routinely and to pad her comfortable lifestyle,” Horn said.

After her release from prison, Creach will be on probation for three years and have to pay back $232,933.40 in restitution.

About the Author

Asia Simone Burns is a watchdog reporter for the AJC. Burns was formerly an intern in AJC’s newsroom and now writes about crime. She is a graduate of Samford University and has previously reported for NPR and WABE, Atlanta’s NPR member station.

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