ABQ woman ordered to pay restitution after defrauding Pueblo of Jemez almost $400K
Apr. 22—An Albuquerque woman was sentenced to a year in prison and ordered to pay restitution to the Pueblo of Jemez after stealing nearly $400,000 that she later gambled away at casinos.
Beverly Scott, 48, pleaded guilty to one count of federal program fraud on Jan. 26, 2023.
According to court documents referenced by the U.S. District Attorney's Office in Albuquerque, Scott was a Pueblo of Jemez accounts payable clerk on leave in August 2020 when a vendor inquired about an unpaid invoice. An investigation showed that payment for the invoice had been made to Scott.
According to the DA's office, the pueblo hired an audit firm which identified 116 checks issued to Scott between June 2016 and July 2020 totaling $389,978. The firm also determined that a "significant portion" of the fraudulent payments came from the Indian Health Service funds.
During a federal investigation, agents interviewed Scott, who told them she issued the checks to herself and later lost all the money at area casinos, according to the DA's office.After completing her term, Scott will be required to serve three years of supervised release.
The FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case.
