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OKLAHOMA BEEF COUNCIL STAFFER SENTENCED TO 57 MONTHS IN PRISON FOR EMBEZZLING $2.6 MILLION
Jan. 8, 2018
Source: Oklahoma Farm Report
While much of the money is gone and will likely not be paid back- former Oklahoma Beef Council Chair Tom Fanning called the sentencing of Melissa Morton for embezzlement of $2.6 from the Oklahoma Beef Council as "justice served." Morton received a sentence of 57 months in Federal Prison followed by five years of supervised release. According to federal law, Morton will be required to serve at least 80-85% of her sentence.
While Morton was ordered to pay $2.3 million in restitution to the Oklahoma Beef Council- she has currently paid back about ten percent of the money stolen from the Beef Council- the OBC will have to wait for her to pay over $600,000 to the IRS first- they are demanding back taxes, saying the $2.6 million she stole was income that she owes taxes on.
Fanning talked with me after the sentencing was complete- saying that it has been a very difficult time for board members of the Oklahoma Beef Council as they tried to explain to fellow cattle producers the "trust that was broken and the deceit that was brought on us and the level of fraud that she perpetrated."
The US Attorney told the judge ahead of sentencing that Morton's actions were deliberate as she carefully kept multiple sets of books, forged 790 checks and fooled several third party auditors over seven years before she was caught. The US Attorney emphasized that the theft was especially serious as she broke trust as an long time employee of a non profit agency.
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