A Marshfield, Missouri woman pleaded guilty in federal court today to stealing more than $115,000 from the federal government by claiming wages for work she never performed.
Kathleen Miner, 64, waived her right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to an information that charges her with theft of government property.
Miner worked as a contractor for the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), an office within the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which is responsible for leading the United States’ response to natural and man-made disasters overseas. The OFDA deploys Disaster Assistance Response Teams to coordinate an on-ground response to assist with disasters and disaster relief efforts in foreign countries.
Macfadden is a company that provides staff contractors, such as Miner, for the OFDA. Miner was hired by Macfadden as a contractor employee on Oct. 26, 2006. She was deployed outside the United States on a Disaster Assistance Response Team until February 2017.
After returning to the United States, Miner continued claiming that she was working from home on matters specifically related to OFDA tasks. Due to Miner’s false timesheets, she received money from USAID in the form of wages that would not have been otherwise provided, resulting in Miner stealing approximately $115,647.
By pleading guilty today, Miner admitted she submitted timesheets that claimed 1,533 hours and was paid $115,647 from March 1, 2017, to Jan. 31, 2018, for work that she never performed.
Under federal statutes, Miner is subject to a sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Carney. It was investigated by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
By pleading guilty today, Miner admitted she submitted timesheets that claimed 1,533 hours and was paid $115,647 from March 1, 2017, to Jan. 31, 2018, for work that she never performed.
Under federal statutes, Miner is subject to a sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Carney. It was investigated by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
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