SEATTLE – Jodi Hamrick, a former bookkeeper for a Mukilteo, Washington, flooring company, was convicted today in U.S. District Court in Seattle on multiple charges, including four counts of wire fraud, one count of aggravated identity theft, and one count of conspiracy. U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman announced the conviction following a five-day jury trial, with the jury deliberating for about eight hours before reaching a verdict.
Trial records and testimonies revealed that Hamrick, now residing near Memphis, Tennessee, conspired with David M. Gluth, co-owner of Gluth Contract Flooring, to embezzle over $400,000 and defraud the silent partner who funded the business. Between 2011 and 2016, Hamrick and Gluth misappropriated company funds for personal expenses, including a home mortgage, luxury vacations, and Nordstrom bills. The fraudulent activities involved forged signatures and documents, altered records, secret bank accounts, and false bookkeeping entries.
The detailed evidence included years of Skype messages between Hamrick and Gluth, outlining their fraudulent plans. The victimized business partner, left with substantial debt, sought legal recourse as the flooring company went bankrupt in 2016.
Prosecutors Jessica M. Ly and Mike Dion highlighted Hamrick’s role in manipulating financial records and maintaining the fraud, equating her routine fraudulent activities to daily habits.
Judge Jones set Hamrick’s sentencing for April 26, 2024. Wire fraud carries a maximum 20-year prison sentence, conspiracy up to five years, and aggravated identity theft mandates a minimum two-year sentence consecutive to other penalties.
David M. Gluth, charged in November 2020 and pleading guilty in January 2021, received a two-year prison sentence and agreed to pay $325,000 in restitution.