Executive pays fine in embezzlement case — by embezzling from DC nonprofit, feds say
A woman convicted on embezzlement charges in Virginia state court owed more than $37,000 in restitution — two-thirds of which she paid with money embezzled from the nonprofit where she worked, prosecutors said.
Now she’s facing prison time.
Kristina Ann Ballard pleaded guilty to wire fraud charges on March 3 after the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Columbia said she embezzled more than $270,000 from a nonprofit where she was the director of finance for six years. In addition to paying restitution in a prior criminal case, prosecutors said she spent the embezzled funds on hotels, vet bills and Washington Nationals tickets.
The 52-year-old from Largo, Florida, faces between two and four years in prison when she’s sentenced July 22.
Ballard could not be reached for comment, and her defense attorney did not immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment on March 3.
Prosecutors charged Ballard with wire fraud two days after Christmas, court filings show. The charges are related to her tenure as finance director at an unidentified nonprofit from 2014 to 2020. Ballard worked directly under the nonprofit’s executive director, the government said, and she was making $106,000 a year before she was reportedly fired for poor performance.
According to court documents, Ballard executed the alleged fraud through a variety of means, the largest chunk of which was stolen through fraudulent wire transfers to bank accounts she controlled using fake invoices.
Between 2015 and 2020, Ballard is accused of initiating more than 110 wire transfers totaling over $203,000 to bogus beneficiaries.
The government said Ballard intercepted $12,507 worth of credit card rewards checks sent to the nonprofit, which she deposited in her own bank accounts by reportedly forging the executive director’s signature. She also used the nonprofit’s credit cards at least 65 times to pay for $55,000 worth of personal purchases, according to court filings.
Those purchases included hotels, clothing, meals out, veterinary care and tickets to Washington Nationals baseball games, prosecutors said. At one point in 2017, Ballard reportedly dropped $1,330 at an optical store using the company credit card.
Shortly before Ballard was fired, the government said, she used the nonprofit’s credit card to pay $24,694 in restitution to the Arlington County Circuit Court related to a 2015 conviction for embezzlement.
Prosecutors said the money Ballard is accused of embezzling has seemingly disappeared, but she is expected to pay $271,465 in restitution as part of the terms of her plea agreement.
This story was originally published March 3, 2022 at 3:07 PM with the headline "Executive pays fine in embezzlement case — by embezzling from DC nonprofit, feds say."
