Former accountant is charged with swiping $800,000

Prosecutors allege she used her skills to `enrich herself'

A former accountant for a Richmond-based paving company is facing allegations she embezzled more than $800,000 from the company, prosecutors. said

Angela Fae Brown, 53, of Olivehurst is charged with embezzlement, money laundering, identity theft and tax evasion, the Contra Costa County district attorney's office said in a news release. She was arraigned on the felony charges Tuesday.

Brown engaged in an embezzlement scheme from September 2017 to November 2022 that bilked more than $800,000 from her employer, Viking Pavers, according to prosecutors.

“Brown used her accounting skills to exploit financial vulnerabilities in the company to illegally enrich herself for nearly five years,” the district attorney's office said.

According to prosecutors, Brown pretended to be the owner of the company and created a fake account with a payment processing service linked to her personal bank account.

Brown generated hundreds of phony invoices for services and sent them electronically to the fake account she controlled and then paid them with the company's funds through the payment processing service, the district attorney's office said.

That in turn funneled the money into her personal bank account, according to Contra Costa County prosecutors.

“Brown's trusted employee status — and access to various financial controls — allowed her to conceal her embezzlement scheme for a long time,” the district attorney's office said.

Brown eventually was confronted by a manager, according to prosecutors. The Richmond Police Department, along with financial forensic analysts from the district attorney's office, launched an investigation, which culminated in her arrest April 19.

The district attorney's office said Brown is being held at the Martinez Detention Facility in lieu of $2 million bail.