Syracuse, NY - A Syracuse woman admitted in court today to stealing more than $46,000 from the suburban trucking company where she worked. Kathleen Phillips, 26, of 403 Ulster St., pleaded guilty before Onondaga County Judge Anthony Aloi to a felony count of third-degree grand larceny. She admitted stealing more than $46,000 from the Gerts Crowes Trucking Company in Warners...
Syracuse, NY - A Syracuse woman admitted in court today to stealing more than $46,000 from the suburban trucking company where she worked.
Kathleen Phillips, 26, of 403 Ulster St., pleaded guilty before Onondaga County Judge Anthony Aloi to a felony count of third-degree grand larceny. She admitted stealing more than $46,000 from the Gerts Crowes Trucking Company in Warners from June 2009 through January 2010.
Assistant District Attorney Mary Gorman said Phillips was employed as the office manager/bookkeeper/secretary at the time. She’s accused of stealing the money by writing more than 100 checks to herself, the prosecutor said.
Gorman said one of the owners discovered a problem when he went to the bank and was told an account was overdrawn after he had recently made a couple of deposits to the account. When the owner had the bank pull its records of checks written on the account, they discovered the checks Phillips was writing to herself and cashing, the prosecutor said.
Aloi promised Phillips a sentence of no more than one to three years in state prison. The sentence could be five years’ probation with six months in jail if Phillips comes up with at least half the restitution by sentencing.
Phillips also pleaded guilty today to fifth-degree criminal tax fraud. She admitted she failed to file a personal income tax return for 2009 when she would have owed more than $2,200 in taxes.
Gorman said that’s the amount Phillips would have owed had she reported the income from her thievery. The prosecutor said her office is paying more attention recently to the tax liability owed by defendants who are involved in large-scale thefts.
Sentencing is Sept. 24.