A Putnam County woman was indicted on seven counts of bank fraud after she stole more than $900,000 from her clients, said U.S. Attorney Justin E. Herdman and FBI Special Agent in Charge Stephen D. Anthony.
Jennifer Edelbrock, 51, of Kalida, operated Edelbrock Enterprises LLC, which also did business as Edelbrock-Reitz LLC in Delphos. The company provided payroll and accounting services for companies in Northwest and Central Ohio. Those services included issuing payroll checks, including withholding federal and states taxes and making quarterly payments from money provided by the clients, according to the indictment.
Edelbrock fraudulently obtained at least $914,000 and used the money for her own personal enrichment, transferring the funds from clients’ bank accounts to the account of All Seasons Lawn and Recreation LLC, which was owned by her husband, according to the indictment.
Edelbrock used her position with her clients to obtain money and funds from financial institutions that she was supposed to hold in trust to pay her clients’ payroll expenses, including federal, state and local tax obligations. She concealed the late payment of taxes because notices of delinquencies and penalties often went only to Edelbrock, according to the indictment.
She also manipulated her clients’ payroll obligations by adding certain amounts (sometimes $25 to $90 per pay period) to the employer responsibility for taxes above and beyond what the employer actually owed. Edelbrock then used the amount she overcharged for her own personal enrichment, according to the indictment.
If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after reviewing factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.
The investigating agency in this case is the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Noah P. Hood.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Defendants are entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
