Norfolk woman sentenced for embezzling $2.3M

Norfolk woman sentenced for embezzling $2.3M
By Tim McGlone
The Virginian-Pilot
NORFOLK

A former bookkeeper for a local seafood company was sentenced Wednesday to 28 months in federal prison plus 10 months of home confinement after admitting she embezzled $2.3 million from the company to feed her gambling addiction.

Leslie M. Coffman, 60, had been employed at Ballard Fish & Oyster Co. for nearly 20 years. She told the court in a letter that her addiction to online gambling surfaced when her husband became disabled and the family fell into a financial crisis.

Her attorney, Franklin Swartz, asked the judge for "compassion and understanding."

"We make no excuses for it," he said, later adding, "This is a human being who has lived a good and wonderful life."

Citing her age, family issues, lack of criminal record and other factors, U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson gave Coffman a sentence below federally recommended guidelines.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Seidel asked the court for a sentence of at least four years in prison, which is the upper end of the guidelines.

"This crime is staggering in many ways," Seidel said, citing the amount stolen and the length of time the crime went on.

"It wasn't an aberration. It was really part of her life - to sustain her lifestyle," he said.

Ballard, based on Duke Street in downtown Norfolk, grows and harvests clams and oysters on the Eastern Shore. As bookkeeper, Coffman was responsible for paying company bills.

Coffman admitted writing checks totaling almost $2.3 million to five credit card companies between 2005 and 2010. Sometimes she wrote checks for more than $100,000 a month,Seidel said.

Coffman made false entries in the company books indicating that the checks were being paid to transportation companies and other entities doing business with Ballard, according to court filings.
The FBI began investigating Coffman last summer after company officials noticed discrepancies during a routine check of the books.

Coffman pleaded guilty in March to one count of mail fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

The courtroom on Wednesday was filled with family and friends. Two people testified on her behalf. One, her addiction counselor, told the judge she believed Coffman would never commit a crime like this again. The other, a Gamblers Anonymous area coordinator, urged the judge to send Coffman for treatment, not to prison.

Coffman has been free on bond since her arrest in February. The judge allowed her to remain free until June 17, when she is to report to a designated federal prison.

The judge also ordered her to make full restitution and to continue mental health treatment. Swartz said she already has repaid about $170,000.





Former bookkeeper sentenced to 28 months for embezzling $2.3M from Va seafood company
By Associated Press
NORFOLK, Va. — A Norfolk woman has been sentenced to 28 months in federal prison for embezzling $2.3 million from a seafood company where she was a bookkeeper.

U.S. District Judge Raymond A. Jackson in Norfolk also ordered 60-year-old Leslie M. Coffman on Wednesday to serve 10 months of home confinement and make full restitution for her March guilty plea to mail fraud.

Coffman worked at the Ballard Fish & Oyster Co. in Norfolk for nearly 20 years. The Virginian-Pilot reports Coffman told the court she had a gambling addiction.

Coffman was accused of using corporate checks to pay off personal credit card debt and creating false entries in company records to indicate the checks were paid to transportation providers. The checks were mailed to the credit card companies between 2005 and 2010.

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Information from: The Virginian-Pilot, http://pilotonline.com