A 36-year-old Euless woman pleaded guilty on May 27 to embezzling more than $2.6 million from a logistic company where she is employed, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad E. Meacham announced.
Vika Latai Moa, 36, was employed as an operations manager at Savino Del Bene USA Inc. (Savino USA) in the Dallas area between June 2016 and October 2019. Her duties included selecting and paying subcontractors tasked with local deliveries to customers.
Moa was charged with wire fraud on May 17 and pleaded guilty to the crime before U.S. Magistrate Judge Irma Ramirez. She faces up to 20 years in federal prison. She also agreed to pay a total sum of $2,623,888.44 in restitution.
During her time with the company, Moa presented fictitious invoices for trucking services that were never rendered to Savino USA employees, the announcement states.
Consequently, the freight company paid more than $2.6 million to a bank account controlled by Moa, the statement reads.
She created a fake business that she presented to Savino USA as a local subcontractor. Moa then submitted several fraudulent invoices for trucking services that the fake business had rendered to Savino USA.
Based on the fraudulent invoices, Moa then directed Savino USA to pay for the purported services that her fictitious company had rendered.
Savino USA honored the fraudulent invoices believing the invoices were legitimate.
Moa is slated for sentencing on September 22 before U.S. District Court Judge Karen Scholer.