HONOLULU - Rowenalynn P. Yorkman, 48, of Kekaha, Hawaii, was sentenced today to 30 months of imprisonment for defrauding the United States Department of the Navy and its employees. As part of her sentence, Yorkman must pay $364,838.33 in restitution, and serve 3 years of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Hawaii Kenji M. Price announced that, according to court documents and information presented in Court, from January 2011 to June 2015, Yorkman was employed by the Department of the Navy as a travel clerk where she tracked and reviewed travel claims for personnel. Yorkman, without authorization, used a co-worker’s account to enter false information and create fraudulent voucher amendments for expenses travelers did not incur. Yorkman then approved these voucher amendments for payment into her own bank account. She then converted these funds for her personal use. During her scheme, Yorkman defrauded the United States government and travelers of at least $364,838.33.
At Yorkman’s sentencing, Senior U.S. District Judge Susan Oki Mollway remarked, "First of all, this was not a one-time giving into temptation," the 333 fraudulent transactions "was almost like a habit." The fraud involved "wholesale use of other people’s names and information" causing great concern.
The case was investigated by the United States Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Darren W.K. Ching.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
