Loraine Duchscher, a 52-year-old resident of Crown Point, Indiana, was sentenced on Jan. 28 to 46 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud, according to an announcement by United States Attorney Adam L. Mildred.
Duchscher will also serve three years of supervised release and must pay $150,153.12 in restitution. The sentencing took place before United States District Court Judge Gretchen S. Lund.
Court documents show that between April 2021 and October 2023, Duchscher worked as an office manager for a small business in East Chicago. She was responsible for processing payroll and had unsupervised access to the company’s bank account and payroll software. After gaining the trust of her employer and convincing them to switch payroll systems, she began increasing her own paychecks and awarding herself unauthorized vacation pay without the company's knowledge or permission. Over time, she defrauded the business out of more than $150,000, which she spent on travel, entertainment, restaurants, cosmetic procedures, a vehicle, and large cash withdrawals.
The case further revealed that Duchscher committed this offense while on pretrial release and after pleading guilty in another federal case involving similar conduct at a different employer. In that earlier case, she stole $490,958.35 by manipulating payroll data as an office manager and received a separate sentence of 46 months in federal prison. Prior to these incidents, Duchscher was convicted of fraud in state court for defrauding a third employer out of $53,616.94 through unauthorized use of credit cards; she received probation for that offense.
"Duchscher is a serial con artist who has defrauded three employers—all small businesses in northwest Indiana—out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. She brazenly abused the trust these businesses placed in her, all to fund her own lavish lifestyle," said United States Attorney Mildred. "I am grateful to federal law enforcement for their relentless pursuit of this case, ensuring that Duchscher was brought to justice yet again."
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Steven J. Lupa prosecuted it.
