Hospital assistant charged with theft of more than $15,000
An executive assistant at CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs was arrested Friday for allegedly embezzling over $15,000 from the hospital by making unauthorized charges on a company credit card.
Amie Nicole Woeppel, 37, who lists a Charlie Stover Road address in Royal, turned herself in at the police department around 2 p.m. Friday and was charged with theft of property over
$5,000, a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
She was later released on a $3,500 bond and is set to appear June 9 in Garland County District Court.
According to the probable cause affidavit released Tuesday, Edward Davis, the division
vice president for CHI St. Vincent reported a theft from the hospital by an employee. He said he was reviewing employees’ expense charges and discovered there were “numerous suspicious charges” made by an executive assistant identified as Woeppel.
He said he began auditing Woeppel’s company-issued credit card and expense reports and found a large amount that was considered “fraudulent and unapproved.” He noted Woeppel had used the card for purchasing food, shoes, clothing, makeup, a day spa treatment, ride sharing, gasoline, online purchases from Amazon, wedding supplies, electronics and FedEx shipments.
Davis said the transactions were not covered by the hospital’s credit card agreement and there was evidence Woeppel modified the receipts of the transactions to receive reimbursement. She also allegedly reported incorrect mileage so she could be “fraudulently reimbursed the funds,” he said.
The total amount for only the credit card charges was reportedly $15,693.48.
Davis said CHI’s human resources department confronted Woeppel about some of the transactions and she allegedly admitted she had used the credit card inappropriately and was “willing to repay the money.”
A warrant for Woeppel’s arrest was issued on March 30.