ST. LOUIS — A St. Charles County woman admitted in court on Thursday to embezzling at least $3.8 million from her employer with the help of the business’s suppliers based in China.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s office of the Eastern District of Missouri, Bridget Thebeau, 45, admitted to embezzling from her employer, a family-owned company, from January 2015 through March 2024.
Thebeau had allegedly struck a deal with the business’s suppliers in China, which led to the business paying their suppliers for products the family-owned company did not need or even receive. In exchange, the suppliers in China shared the proceeds of the scam with Thebeau.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the scam led to over 200 fraudulent purchase orders, triggering payments of at least $3,821,152 to the China-based suppliers. In return, Thebeau was wired more than $2 million.
Thebeau tried to hide the transactions with fraudulent shipping labels and bills issued by the China-based suppliers. She additionally created fraudulent invoices and claimed she had issued them to the company’s customers. Allegedly, Thebeau reported false information to the company’s owner and accountants during the scam.
Thebeau was originally hired by the family-owned company in 2002. Allegedly her crime has created substantial financial hardship for the company’s owner, who can no longer afford retirement due to the embezzlement.
Thebeau pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to five counts of wire fraud. She is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 11. Wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both.