Montana woman pleads guilty to embezzling $420,000

GREAT FALLS, Mont. – A 24-year-old north-central Montana woman has pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $420,000 from several businesses in just over a year while she worked for an accounting firm.

The Great Falls Tribune reported Natalee Christine Crumley pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal charges including wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. She was released pending her sentencing on July 27.

Crumley told U.S. District Judge Brian Morris that she heard about the embezzlement scheme she used from a business owner who told her about another embezzlement case.

Prosecutors said Crumley forged 112 checks from businesses between June 2015 and August 2016.

Initially she said she took the money to help her boyfriend’s family, but she later spent it on furniture, clothing and travel, including a trip to the NCAA Final Four. “It’s all gone,” she said.