For orchestrating a complex embezzlement conspiracy that exceeded $8.5 million during the five-year period from 2015 to 2020, Alpharetta, Georgia-based former executive assistant and office manager Sonya Hesenius was sentenced to federal prison.
“Hesenius shall henceforth be held responsible for her egregious misappropriation of millions of dollars from her employer in order to finance an extravagant lifestyle,” stated U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan in regard to the seriousness of Hesenius’s conduct. Assigning company funds to finance extravagant overseas vacations, cosmetic surgery, and luxury purchasing sprees, Hesenius exploited her position of authority in the financial department.
Keri Farley, chief special agent of the FBI in Atlanta, emphasized the gravity of wire fraud incidents and the organization’s resolute dedication to seeking retribution in such wrongful doings. Farley placed particular emphasis on the detrimental financial impact that Hesenius’s avarice had on the organization and its entire workforce.
Hesenius, in her capacity as executive assistant and office manager at an Alpharetta-based organization that specialized in third-party yard management services, deceived the organization, according to court documents and U.S. Attorney Buchanan. By applying personal expenses to corporate credit cards and rerouting company funds to her own accounts, she engaged in fraudulent activities. She concealed unauthorized expenditures and fabricated records within the organization’s accounting system in order to conceal her activities.
Sophisticated wedding expenditures, luxury retail excursions, global journeys, private jet holidays, sporting event tickets, upscale furniture acquisitions, and cash conversions amounting to more than $8.5 million were all financed through the fraudulent undertakings of Hesenius.
Hesenius, 60, a resident of St. Petersburg, Florida, was given a federal prison term of six years with three years of supervised release, as imposed by U.S. District Judge Victoria M. Calvert. Furthermore, she was mandated to fulfill restitution requirements equivalent to the complete amount of theft.
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In the wake of a Federal Bureau of Investigation investigation, Hesenius entered a guilty plea to the charges on November 29, 2023. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. O’Neal, demonstrating the government’s dedication to ensuring that culpability is established for financial offenses.