Midland Money Mischief

Accountant’s Secret Cash Grab Exposed!

In Midland, Texas, a door and window manufacturing company got a rude shock when their trusted accountant, 61-year-old Bettye Brown Thiel, was caught siphoning off more than $430,000 over several years. Thiel now faces serious first-degree felony charges for credit card abuse and theft.

The scheme came to light after the bank flagged suspicious transactions. Thiel had been forging signatures on checks made out to herself and tweaking the company’s accounting software to disguise her payouts as legitimate vendor expenses. She even used company credit cards for personal purchases, slyly funneling “refunded” money into her own account.

When confronted by authorities, Thiel quickly confessed and is now behind bars awaiting trial. This messy situation shows that even the most reliable employees can pull a fast one. Regular audits might have caught her sooner, sparing the company major losses. To keep your business safe, reach out to Fittz & Associates for a Certified Fraud Examiner to give your finances a thorough check. Better safe than sorry!