A former bookkeeper, identified as 51-year-old Belinda Martin of New Orleans, Louisiana, has been handed down a sentence of five years’ probation for her involvement in access device fraud, a violation under Title 18, United States Code, Section 1029(a)(2).
Martin’s sentencing, which occurred on February 10, comes in the wake of allegations stating that she embezzled more than $1,000 from her employer between 2022 and 2023 using the company’s access device accounts, and her probation includes a $100 mandatory special assessment fee and a restitution payment fixed at $63,112.87, a scratch to the surface to the toll such betrayals take on the trust within the sanctums of our city’s businesses, as mentioned in the press release.
The case that brought Martin before U.S. District Judge Darrel James Papillion was spearheaded by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, receiving commendation from U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle for their efforts; Assistant United States Attorney Richard R. Pickens, II, of the Financial Crimes Unit, handled the prosecution, emphasizing the importance of accountability in such financial misdeeds, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Louisiana’s announcement…