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U.S. Department of Justice
Kenneth L. Wainstein United States Attorney for the District of Columbia Judiciary Center 555 4th Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20530 |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For Information, |
SEPTEMBER 7, 2006
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Washington, D.C. - A 45-year-old former bookkeeper, Gwendolyn Tann, has been sentenced to 42 months in prison for stealing from three different businesses in the District of Columbia, including two charities, U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Wainstein announced today.
Tann, formerly of the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia before the Honorable Colleen Kollar-Kotelly. On March 31, 2006, a federal jury found Tann guilty of 18 counts of bank fraud, one count of wire fraud and one count of First Degree Fraud under the District of Columbia Code.
According to the evidence
presented at trial, between 1998 and 2003, Gwendolyn Tann obtained employment
from three different employers in the District of Columbia. Once on the job,
Tann gained the trust of her employers and, accordingly, access to the company
checkbooks. Tann used her position of trust to enrich herself. The first company
Tann stole from was a D.C. non-profit based in Northeast Washington, D.C., called
the D.C. Center for Independent Living (DCCIL). DCCIL is dedicated to helping
people who need assistance live full and productive lives. Her next victim was
a series of linked D.C.-based construction companies located in Southeast Washington,
D.C.
Her last victim was Generations United. Located in Northwest Washington, D.C.,
Generations United is a D.C.-based non-profit dedicated to connecting different
generations through programs such as helping grandparents raise grandchildren.
Tann used her stolen proceeds to live a lifestyle beyond the means afforded
by her bookkeeper's salary, including expensive travel, clothing purchases and
on-line gambling. The total loss amount was over $70,000.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Wainstein commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation, especially the efforts of former Special Agent Deborah Martin, Special Agents Patrick Westerhaus and Michael Kelly and Financial Analyst Justin Combs. In addition, he praised Paralegal Specialist Paula Pagano and former Supervisory Paralegal Specialist Bertina Marshall, Legal Assistants Shavonne Rush and Teesha Tobias, Legal Intern Jennifer West, and Deborah Dunn and Thomas Royal from the Litigation Support Unit. Finally, he commended Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Alexis, who indicted the case, former Assistant U.S. Attorney Chad Sarchio,, who assisted in preparing the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Carlin and Timothy Lynch, who tried the case.