A North Carolina man has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for embezzling a total of $501,000 from two employers, including a company in St. Louis County and a non-profit children’s hospital.
Scott H. Foster, 49, of Charlotte, was ordered by U.S. District Judge Sarah E. Pitlyk to repay $306,199 to the St. Louis County company where he had worked as a mid-level executive in human resources. According to court documents, Foster pleaded guilty in February to one count of wire fraud after admitting that he manipulated the company's human resources systems. He created an employee account for his paramour and arranged for wages and benefits totaling more than $273,000 to be paid out over nearly five years until his termination in December 2022. Foster also used a corporate American Express card for over $33,000 in personal travel expenses.
“Rather than learn from his crimes,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow in a sentencing memo, Foster’s conduct became “more manipulative and egregious.”
After Foster entered his guilty plea, the U.S. Attorney’s Office was contacted by a non-profit children’s hospital where he had started working in June 2023. The hospital discovered that Foster had used its credit cards for unauthorized personal expenses and travel after investigating following news of his guilty plea. Although given a $20,000 relocation bonus to move closer to the hospital's area upon hiring, Foster remained in Charlotte and used hospital credit cards for airfare and lodging during commutes to work. He also charged personal travel costs and first-class airfare and hotel stays related to his court appearance on these cards. The embezzlement continued even after Foster learned he was under investigation by his previous employer.
Judge Pitlyk ordered Foster to pay $194,855 in restitution to the children’s hospital.
“Scott Foster absolutely belongs in prison—not just to answer for stealing from two different employers, but to stop him from preying on another one,” said Special Agent in Charge Chris Crocker of the FBI St. Louis Division. “After being fired from his first company and before he could be charged, Foster took a job at a children’s hospital—where he stole again. Employee theft is one of the most common white-collar crimes the FBI investigates, and it destroys trust from the inside. Businesses must protect themselves with strict internal controls, routine audits, and a clear line of sight on every dollar."
The FBI investigated this case while Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Clow handled prosecution.
