Greenbelt, Maryland - Marlene Biggs, age 53, of Bowie, Maryland today admitted to unlawfully converting funds obtained from her government credit cards to her personal use.
The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein and John L. Phillips, Assistant Inspector General for Investigations, U.S. Department of the Treasury - Office of Inspector General.
Biggs was a management analyst with the Department of Treasury. She retired in 2013. According to her plea agreement, from October 2010 to January 2013, Biggs charged approximately $142,000 in 62 separate transactions to two Treasury-issued purchase cards for purported purchases of office supplies and equipment from a government vendor. In fact, no supplies and equipment were purchased in a majority of these transactions and instead, the vendor sent approximately $108,000 in 60 installments to Biggs’ personal bank account, and retained the balance.
In May 2014, an agent from the Treasury’s OIG office spoke to the vendor’s owner, who admitted to an agreement with Biggs in which he would charge government credit cards used by Biggs and then send approximately 75% of the charged amount back to Biggs’ personal bank account. When interviewed in July 2014, Biggs initially denied that she personally benefited from the funds she obtained from the vendor under this scheme. In fact, however, Biggs converted at least $100,000 in government funds to her personal use.
The total loss attributable to Biggs is between $120,000 and $200,000.
Biggs faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for theft and conversion of government funds. Biggs has agreed to the entry of an order to pay restitution of at least $142,000 and forfeit at least $108,000. U.S. District Judge George J. Hazel has scheduled sentencing for Nov. 24, 2015 at 9:30 a.m.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended the U.S. Department of the Treasury - OIG for its work in the investigation and thanked Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Patterson, of the U.S. Department of Justice, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph R. Baldwin, who are prosecuting the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
