Ex-COO charged with embezzling $200,000 from Germantown firm
The former chief operating officer and bookkeeper at a Germantown manufacturing company has agreed to plead guilty to embezzling more than $200,000 from the company.
Jennifer Goss of Menomonee Falls routinely wrote checks to herself and her husband, Eric Goss, who also worked for Financial Equipment Co., then altered company software to make it look like the checks were to other payees, according to a plea agreement filed Monday in federal court.
The scheme ran from January 2012 until July 2015 when Financial Equipment hired an accounting firm to assess a value of the company ahead of an anticipated sale. The accountants discovered Goss’ embezzlement, and Financial Equipment had to spend another $98,000 on forensic accounting to determine the scope of her crimes.
As part of the plea agreement, Goss will have pay back the embezzled funds as well as the forensic accounting costs, for a total of more than $304,000. Prosecutors will recommend a sentence within the guidelines range for Goss. Wire fraud carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
The company, which designed, installed and serviced security equipment such as safes and vaults, sued the Gosses in Waukesha County Circuit Court in 2016. Right before the couple’s answer was due, they filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection.
According to an adversary complaint from Financial Equipment Co., the firm sought to block discharge in bankruptcy of any debt and damages the couple owed the company.
Last year, the company sued the Gosses again in Waukesha County and reached a settlement this month in which a $750,000 non-dischargeable judgment was entered against the Gosses.
According to the bankruptcy complaint, Financial Equipment Company was experiencing financial trouble in 2015 and was forced to close in October 2015.