Three individuals have been accused of defrauding a cruise ship company out of more than $2 million, according to an announcement on Apr. 17 from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Missouri.
The case highlights concerns about fraud targeting corporate entities and the importance of safeguarding against misuse of internal positions. The charges stem from an alleged scheme involving fraudulent invoices and identity theft that spanned several years.
Thomas Markwell, 53, and Nathan Boyd, 50, were indicted in U.S. District Court in St. Louis with seven counts of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. Joanna Dettman, 50, was also indicted on wire fraud charges. Markwell appeared in court after being arrested in Argentina on an Interpol Red Notice; he agreed to waive extradition and was returned to the United States with assistance from the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs. Dettman appeared in court last October while Boyd appeared in November; both pleaded not guilty.
According to court documents, between June 2021 and September 2023 Markwell allegedly used his position as senior director at the cruise line company to approve over $1 million in fraudulent invoices from a St. Louis-area gifting company co-owned by Boyd where Dettman worked as a contractor under another name. The indictment alleges that some invoices included personal expenses for themselves or Markwell’s romantic partners and that additional fictitious vendors linked to those partners billed hundreds of thousands more dollars to the cruise line.
Dettman is accused of using her own consulting firm to issue $100,000 worth of false invoices while another business associated with one of Markwell’s romantic partners billed $500,000 after being approved as a vendor by him. The indictment further states that Markwell issued fake invoices totaling $180,000 through yet another fictitious business connected to a different partner.
All defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court proceedings.
The FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs investigated this case alongside Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Ladendorf who is prosecuting it.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Missouri advances community well-being by working with entities to prevent crime and improve quality of life according to its official website. It investigates federal crimes such as terrorism and fraud while enforcing civil rights across its jurisdiction as detailed online. The office operates under the United States Department of Justice according to official information and serves 49 counties within Missouri as reported on its website. Proceedings take place at both Thomas F. Eagleton U.S. Courthouse in St. Louis and Rush H. Limbaugh Sr. U.S Courthouse in Cape Girardeau according to official sources.
