ST. LOUIS – A former CFO of a St. Louis County business was sentenced Friday in $2 million embezzlement scheme through which he used his employer’s bank accounts to pay off to balances on personal credit cards.

A federal judge sentenced Richard D, Zellner, 66, of O’Fallon, Missouri, to 41 months in prison, or nearly 3.5 years behind bars. He was also ordered to repay $2 million in stolen funds.

Investigators say Zellner stole millions from his employer between January 2019 and January 2024. He repeatedly paid off credit card balances once he incurred thousands of dollars in charges, which typically occurred every few days or couple of weeks, according to a news release the U.S. Department of Justice.

During this time, Zellner spent money vacations, travel, personal bills and purchases of gold and precious metals. He covered up his thefts by altering company accounting records and creating fake work orders and bills.

Investigators say Zellner made more than 1,000 unauthorized transactions during his scheme, fraudulently obtaining about $2,062,051. He also used company credit cards for personal expenses.

Zellner waived grand jury indictment and pleaded guilty in August in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of wire fraud.

The U.S. Department of Justice did not immediately disclose the company through which Zellner worked as a CFO in its news release.