EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WEHT) – Patrick Garrett, 33, of Evansville, was sentenced to 16 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to charges of wire fraud, bank fraud and money laundering.
According to court documents, Garrett was employed as a Sales Specialist for a business located in Gibson County, Indiana. From April 9, 2021, to July 16, 2021, Garrett devised and executed a direct bill and fake invoice scheme to steal $87,192.26 from his employer according to court documents.
Court documents say Garrett bought about 62 items for himself from Amazon and other retailers by charging the purchases to his employer without authorization and he entered false or altered information about these purchases into his employer’s accounting system to conceal the fraud.
A news release says Garrett also submitted false invoices into his employer’s accounting system for services he claimed were provided by Garrett Ventures. Garrett created the company in 2018 and served as its Chief Financial Officer. No services were ever provided by Garrett Ventures to Garrett’s employer.
Court documents say as part of the sentence, Judge Young ordered that Garrett pay restitution of $87,192.84, forfeit any illicitly purchased items, and be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for two years following his release from federal prison.
A revised press release says the U.S. Secret Service investigated the case.