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Former school payroll director pleads guilty to wire fraud charges

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Thursday, December 19, 2024

Former school payroll director pleads guilty to wire fraud charges

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U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester | U.S. Department of Justice

Yesterday, Kim Weinrich, 67, from Mustang, Oklahoma, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and filing a false tax return. This was announced by U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.

Weinrich was charged on December 3, 2024. According to public records, she worked for Mustang Public Schools as Payroll Supervisor and later as Director of Payroll Services from 2014 until April 2022. Her responsibilities included managing the payroll for the district's employees.

The Information reveals that starting in July 2016, Weinrich manipulated the payroll software to increase her net pay each period and deposited these funds into her personal account. This scheme led to several district employees underreporting their federal and state withholdings, affecting their tax refunds. Between July 2016 and April 2022, she defrauded the district of approximately $471,657.91.

Further records show that Weinrich altered the payroll software to falsely indicate substantial federal income tax payments while no taxes were withheld. On April 5, 2022, she filed a federal tax return reporting an income lower than what she actually received due to the fraud.

On December 12, 2024, Weinrich admitted in court to adjusting her payroll amounts to increase her income and manipulating the software regarding tax payments. She also acknowledged filing a false tax return stating an income of $91,295 while knowing it was significantly higher.

Weinrich could face up to 23 years in federal prison and fines up to $350,000 at sentencing.

This case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation and the United States Secret Service with Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Brown prosecuting.

Reference is made to public filings for additional information.

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