Gardendale woman convicted on fraud charges
A Gardendale woman was convicted Wednesday on charges of forgery and theft of almost $200,000 in checks and cash from former employers Baptist Health Systems and Alabama Lock and Key.
Deborah Thompson pleaded guilty in a Jefferson County Circuit Court to one count of first-degree theft, on count of second-degree theft and two counts of second-degree possession of forged instruments.
“This case is an excellent example of the kind of white collar crime that should be pursued aggressively,” said Attorney General Luther Strange in a release from his office. “I am proud of the outstanding work conducted by our Public Corruption and White Collar Crime Division, as well as of the dedicated efforts of an employee of the victim, Baptist Health Systems, Inc., in conducting his own thorough internal investigation to bring these crimes to light.”
According to the release, most of the money stolen came from Baptist Health Systems; the release says an audit of a property owned by the company showed $195,000 in unaccounted for cash. Thompson admitted in court to converting that amount to cash for her own personal use. She also said she billed the company $1,546 for a hotel upgrade during a conference at Orange Beach.
The rest of the money was stolen from Alabama Lock and Key in 1998. Thompson initially claimed that she had asked two customers to ask for refunds and agreed to split the money with them, a claim the two customers later denied, saying that they had never asked for a refund from the company.
Thompson’s sentencing is set for March 7.