Former Schertz Business Manager Sentenced to Federal Prison for Stealing over $470,000 from Employer

SAN ANTONIO - A federal judge sentenced 50-year-old Deanna Bates Wehde of San Antonio today to 49 months in federal prison for stealing over $470,000 from the company she managed.

In addition to the prison term, Chief U.S. District Court Judge Orlando Garcia ordered Wehde to pay $471,006.30 in restitution and be placed on supervised release for a period of three years after completing her prison term.

'Today's prison sentence reflects the seriousness of the defendant's breach of her employer's trust and she is now being held accountable for her crime,' said U.S. Attorney Ashley C. Hoff. 'The U.S. Attorney's Office, working with our law enforcement partners, will continue to identify, investigate and prosecute those who take advantage of their employment positions to steal from and do harm to businesses.'

On July 30, 2020, Wehde pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. By pleading guilty, Wehde admitted that while employed by Stone Care of Texas between May 2016 and September 2018, she defrauded the company by using company credit cards issued in the names of former employees for business-related travel to make unauthorized purchases and cash withdrawals for her own personal use and benefit.

'Small businesses play an important part in maintaining and stimulating economic growth in our community,' said Christopher Combs, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, San Antonio Division. 'FBI San Antonio is committed to protecting businesses from theft and fraud schemes which threaten their stability and the health of our local economies.'

The FBI investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney William R. Harris prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

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