SHELBY COUNTY, Ind. -- A Shelby County woman is accused of embezzling over $1.8 million from a small southern Indiana business.
Julie Ann Ashman, 43, was the bookkeeper at the company, which specializes in repairing and refurbishing X-ray medical equipment. She was responsible for recording all deposits and payments in the company’s ledger.
According to the U.S. attorney’s office, Ashman used her position to siphon company funds into her own bank account over four and a half years. She is also accused of cutting checks for herself between $3,000 and $5,000 up to 15 times per month and intentionally understating the revenue on the company’s ledgers to make it look like they were barely making profits.
During that period, 436 company checks were written to Ashman for a total of $1,805,015.12.
Ashman is also charged with failing to report to the IRS and pay taxes on $436,078.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office says Ashman has agreed to plead guilty to wire fraud and tax evasion. She faces up to 20 years in prison on the fraud charge and up to 5 years in prison on the tax evasion charge.
OTHER STORIES | Man shot at Tarkington Park on Indy's north side | Lawsuit targets extra utility bill fees | Indy Muslims appalled at 'hateful' billboard
