A former Cox Communications vice president pleaded guilty Tuesday to charging nearly $2.4 million for marketing services that never took place.
Instead, according to Byung J. Pak, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, Janet West, the 47-year-old executive, secretly funneled much of the money back to herself, using her employer’s money to pay off two homes she owned in Arizona.
“West defrauded a company that trusted her judgment as a vice president,” Pak said.
Beginning in 2011, West began directing her assistant to make payments on her corporate credit card to a phantom third party, prosecutors said. She repeatedly manufactured conflict of interest certifications with Cox that failed to disclose she was the recipient of the embezzled funds.
“We take violations of company ethics policies and criminal matters very serious and have fully cooperated with law enforcement,” said Cox Communications spokesman Todd Smith. “Beyond that, we don’t comment on legal details of current or former employees.”
Cox Communications is the cable and broadband internet subsidiary of Cox Enterprises, which also owns The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
West worked out of the company’s Phoenix office. She is scheduled for sentencing in March.
As part of her plea deal, West agreed to forfeit her interests in the Arizona homes.
“This case should be an example that no matter your position, you cannot profit illegally or take advantage of your status in the company you were entrusted to work for,” said David J. LeValley, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Atlanta office.
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