Fresno residents Brandi Marshall, 41, and Daniel Barrios Jr., 37, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud and conspiracy to launder money in connection with their embezzlement of money from a Fresno business, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court documents, Marshall was employed as the company’s bookkeeper between October 2014 and March 2016 and was responsible for, among other things, receiving and depositing checks from customers to pay their invoices. During that time, she and Barrios misappropriated more than 100 checks and fraudulently deposited them into Barrios’s personal bank account. Marshall and Barrios used money derived from the fraudulently deposited checks for personal purchases, including more than $35,000 to purchase and accessorize a 2016 Ford Mustang GT, and more than $25,000 to purchase a 2012 Dodge Challenger.
Marshall created fictitious entries in the company’s computer accounting application to attempt to conceal the embezzlement. Together, Marshall and Barrios embezzled more than $1 million dollars.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher D. Baker is prosecuting the case.
Marshall and Barrios are scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd on March 12, 2018, and March 19, 2018, respectively. They face a maximum statutory penalty of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, and an additional 10 years in prison and $250,000 fine for conspiracy to launder money. The actual sentences, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
