A former bookkeeper and office manager for a Little Rock law firm pleaded guilty Tuesday to a federal wire fraud charge, admitting she embezzled $191,000 over four years.
Ahnna Alberta Hampton worked for the Worley, Wood & Parrish firm from 2007 until this year, handling the law firm's human resources and payroll functions, according to a charging document filed Wednesday.
It says that from 2013 through 2017, she devised a scheme in which she transferred funds by wire from the firm's account into her retirement account in Los Angeles. From there, the document states, she would transfer funds from the retirement account into her personal checking accounts in Arkansas.
The document states that Hampton disguised the fraudulent transactions by manipulating QuickBooks software to hide her actions from the firm.
Hampton, represented by attorney Chris Tarver of the federal public defender's office, entered a guilty plea before U.S. District Judge Billy Roy Wilson, who set her sentencing for Dec. 20.
The charge to which she pleaded guilty involves a transfer on Feb. 10 of this year through which she immediately distributed $3,500 of the transferred amount into her personal checking account at Simmons Bank.
The case against Hampton is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stacy Williams.
Metro on 08/03/2017