Maryland Woman Indicted For Fraud

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WILMINGTON, Del. – A federal grand jury returned an indictment on August 15, 2019, charging a resident of Port Deposit, Maryland with one count of wire fraud.

According to the indictment, Kimberly Sponaugle, 41, engaged in a scheme to defraud her former employer, a Newark, Delaware business referenced as Company A in the indictment.  Sponaugle, who was the business’s office manager from 2005 – 2010 and the business’s director from 2010 through her termination in 2018, used a corporate credit card to make approximately $322,652.00 in unauthorized, personal purchases from January of 2012, through March of 2018.  Sponaugle used funds from the business’s bank account to pay corporate credit card bills associated with those personal purchases and hid her fraud by making false entries in the business’s financial accounting system.  Through this scheme, Sponaugle used the business’s funds without authorization to purchase, among other items, vacations, jewelry, and limousine services, as well as to make personal charitable contributions using the corporate credit card.

If convicted of wire fraud, Sponaugle faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

David C. Weiss, U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware, made the announcement and gave the following comment: “The defendant abused her employers’ trust and repeatedly diverted corporate funds for her own personal use through a years-long scheme.  My office is committed to investigating and prosecuting fraudulent conduct, like the defendant’s, that hurts Delaware businesses.”

The case was investigated by the FBI Baltimore Division’s Wilmington Office and the Delaware State Police and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Carly A. Hudson.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the District of Delaware or on PACER.

An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.