SAN ANTONIO – Irene M. Scott, former bookkeeper and financial manager for a San Antonio private law firm, admitted to stealing approximately $1,696,996 from the law firm’s operating account today.
Appearing before U.S. District Judge Fred Biery, Scott pleaded guilty to three counts of wire fraud and one count of bank fraud. According to court documents, Scott worked for the law firm between August 2011 and February 2020. Her duties included issuing business credit cards to employees and closing those business credit card accounts when an employee separated from the firm. She also maintained the firm’s financial ledgers and paid vendors and operating expenses.
Scott admitted that from 2012 to 2020, she used three office credit cards assigned to employees or former employees to make non-firm related purchases totaling over $1.2 million. An estimated three-fourths of those funds went to support her husband’s outdoor lighting business. She concealed on the firm’s financial ledgers credit card payments she made using the firm’s operating account. Scott also stole an estimated $417,000 by fraudulently withdrawing from the firm’s operating bank account about 200 times during a two-year period beginning in January 2018. She disguised those withdrawals in the firm’s ledger as vendor payments. Scott committed these fraudulent acts without the knowledge or authorization of any member of the firm.
Scott remains on bond. Judge Biery scheduled sentencing for 9:30 a.m. on November 9, 2021.
U.S. Attorney Ashley C. Hoff and FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs, San Antonio Division made today’s announcement.
The FBI investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew W. Kinskey and Joseph E. Blackwell are prosecuting this case.
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