Embezzlement From Doctor's Office Sends Former Office Manager to Federal Prison for Nearly Three Years

Cassandra D. Eberhart, age 49, of Moro, Illinois, has been sentenced to serve 33 months in federal prison for her convictions of wire fraud and filing a false federal income tax return, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, Steven D. Weinhoeft, announced today. Eberhart previously pleaded guilty to the charges in October 2018.

Eberhart’s convictions stem from her employment as the office manager at A to Z Pediatrics in Caseyville, Illinois. From 2011 through 2017, she embezzled over $350,000 from the business by making unauthorized personal charges on medical practice credit cards, overpaying herself salary, reimbursing herself for overtime and mileage that was not authorized, fraudulently adding herself and family members to medical insurance, falsifying business journal entries and diverting electronic payments from the medical practice’s bank account to a personal credit card account. Eberhart also failed to report the money she embezzled on her federal income tax returns.

As part of her sentence, Eberhart was ordered to pay full restitution in the amount of $368,308.99 and to serve three years of supervised release, during which time she will not be permitted to engage in any occupation that involves fiduciary responsibility without obtaining prior approval from the court.

The investigation was conducted by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation. The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Norman R. Smith.