A former office manager in Collinsville has been sentenced to 51 months in federal prison for embezzling over $158,000 and committing identity theft while employed at AMK Heating and Cooling in Edwardsville. Angela L. Cooper, 47, pleaded guilty to multiple charges including wire fraud, bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, and tax fraud.
In addition to her prison sentence, Cooper was ordered by the district judge to pay $168,536.12 in restitution and will serve three years of supervised release after her imprisonment.
U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft stated that the U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to prosecuting identity theft due to its significant impact on victims who not only face financial losses but also experience long-term emotional distress. He emphasized the importance of their collaboration with IRS Criminal Investigation and the FBI in holding individuals accountable for harming small businesses.
Court documents revealed that during her tenure as office manager at AMK, Cooper had access to company financial resources which she exploited by writing fraudulent checks payable to herself and forging the business owner's signature. Over a two-year period, she embezzled $158,658.41 from the company by disguising these transactions as payroll or loans.
FBI Springfield Special Agent in Charge Christopher Johnson commented on Cooper's actions stating that "greed continues to grow if left unchecked" and highlighted the joint efforts of law enforcement agencies like the FBI and IRS in combating corporate fraud.
Cooper also used a coworker's personal information without permission to obtain a Discover credit card which she maxed out within weeks, leading to additional charges of bank fraud and aggravated identity theft with a mandatory minimum sentence of two years.
Special Agent in Charge Bill Steenson from IRS Criminal Investigation’s St. Louis Field Office remarked on Cooper's breach of trust towards her employer by failing to report stolen funds as taxable income on her tax returns for 2019 through 2021 which resulted in over $35,000 tax loss for the IRS.
The investigation was conducted by IRS Criminal Investigation along with the FBI Springfield Field Office, while Assistant U.S. Attorney Zoe Gross handled prosecution duties for this case.