A woman accused of embezzling $645,000 from her Cobb County employer has been indicted on 175 counts, including theft, computer forgery and racketeering charges.
The Cobb County Grand Jury indicted Jennifer Ann Broussard, of Dallas, on Thursday, according to the indictment, obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“In her role as a trusted employee of Craftsman Business Interiors Inc., defendant Jennifer Broussard embezzled in excess of $645,000 by writing numerous unauthorized checks to herself and by manipulating the bookkeeping records to hide the theft,” the indictment states.
While employed at CBI, Broussard allegedly wrote herself 86 checks totalling $645,750 by falsifying financial data and creating phony entries for vehicle expenses into the company’s accounting database, according to investigators. Over a seven-year period, Broussard allegedly issued checks for reimbursement made payable to herself under the name Jennifer Burchfield, the indictment states. The checks ranged from $3,000 to $10,000 and were deposited into Broussard’s personal bank account, according to the indictment.
Broussard began working for the company in May 2001, and when the investigation began, her salary was $95,000 a year, the indictment states. She also was given $450 a month for a car allowance.
The alleged thefts went undetected until the IRS contacted the company regarding unpaid federal taxes in April 2013 prompting the company to do an internal audit, The AJC previously reported. Broussard was arrested in November and has been out on bond for nine months, her attorney, Kim Frye, said Wednesday.
This week, Broussard was re-arrested at her home and denied bond, a move her attorney said was not required by law and creates financial hardship for Broussard, who is married and has children. Broussard could have been allowed to turn herself in, Frye said.
“Typically when people are indicted by a Grand Jury, they are not re-arrested,” Frye said. “Nothing has changed about the case, other than the DA adding additional charges. Just because she has been indicted for a lot more charges, does not mean that she’ll become a flight risk.”
Broussard was being held without bond Wednesday at the Cobb County jail. An arraignment date has not yet been set.
About the Author
