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Former Bookkeeper Pleads Guilty To Stealing From Law Firm

By: Daniel Gilbert | TriCities.com
Published: June 04, 2009

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ABINGDON, Va. – The former bookkeeper of a law firm here pleaded guilty this morning to federal felony counts of money laundering and mail fraud.
Anna Howell, 43, told Magistrate Judge Pamela Meade Sargent that she hijacked checks from her employer, Jessee & Read, and used them to pay her own expenses.
Howell’s plea came two years to the day in 2007, when she was sentenced for a similar crime stemming from her stint as secretary for a Washington County circuit court judge. In that case, Howell pleaded guilty to forgery, uttering and grand larceny, and received a five-year suspended sentence.
But three months later, the government charges, Howell launched a scheme to embezzle from her new employer.
Today, Howell pleaded guilty without a plea deal from prosecutors and faces a maximum of 40 years in prison and a $750,000 fine.
Still at issue is the amount Howell stole from Jessee & Read. Read Friday's Bristol Herald Courier for details.