Fraudster stole almost £700,000 from business and claimed she won it by gambling
A Yorkshire woman who stole almost £700,000 from the firm where she worked and claimed to have won it by gambling has been jailed for four years.
Gemma Phoenix was an account manager for a taxi firm in Yorkshire, where her main role was to manage business accounts.
The 44-year-old was responsible for making weekly payments to drivers, and monthly payments to office staff, as well as transferring pension contributions, all controlled from the main company account.
Reports were made to Humberside Police after staff pension contributions hadn’t been paid, and it is thought the payments had instead gone directly into Phoenix’s bank account.
She was arrested and during interview admitted taking money from the business, but couldn’t remember exactly how much.
An investigation quickly discovered around £693,965 had been stolen from the business, with the transactions being disguised under references such as ‘Pension’ and ‘HMRC’.
Phoenix, of Hayton Avenue in Pocklington, had offered money to her friends, saying she had won it by gambling in a bid to throw investigators off the scent.
She admitted fraud by abuse of position last month and was jailed at Hull Crown Court on Monday (Apr 27) for four years.
PC Chelsea Walker, from Humberside Police’s economic crime unit, said: “Phoenix is a business fraudster who stole thousands of pounds worth of money from the business all behind her work computer in the office.
“She was hidden in plain sight and was considered a trusted member of the business responsible for managing all the accounts, paying drivers and staff, and making crucial contributions to their pensions.
“Not only did Phoenix steal people’s hard-earned cash, she also severely impacted their future financial security and stability, with no regard as to how this would affect them.
“Whilst Phoenix apologised to the victims in court, the impact of what she has done cannot be underestimated, and because of her actions the business had to be sold to recoup the losses.
“I hope that her sentence will give her ample time to think about the crime she committed and how it has impacted not only the company, but the colleagues who considered her friends and who were betrayed by her in such a trusted role.”