Officer manager sentenced to 3 years for embezzling $500,000

An officer manager at a construction supply company was sentenced to federal prison Friday for embezzling half a million dollars.

Judy Elaine Henry, of Lafayette, pleaded guilty to committing wire fraud in a scheme to defraud Bec-Don Inc., from which she stole more than $500,000 between 2006 and 2014 when she managed the company's Ringgold office.

Investigators said Henry wrote company checks payable to herself and falsified Bec-Don’s accounting records to make it look like the checks had been written for legitimate business purposes. She then spent the company’s money by depositing the checks into her bank account and using her debit card, according to the FBI and the Catoosa County Sheriff’s Department.

“This defendant abused her employer’s trust by stealing money from the company account for nearly eight years,” acting U.S. Attorney John Horn said in a news release. “Businesses have the right to expect honest services from their employees, but they should nonetheless be vigilant and adopt protocols to safeguard against internal fraud.”

Henry, 50, was sentenced to three years and one month in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. She was also ordered to pay back Bec-Don in the amount of $565,005.05.