Indianapolis Employee Admits To Cutting Herself $450K In Checks

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- A 41-year-old Cicero woman has been sentenced to eight years of probation and monthly restitution payments for stealing more than $450,000 from her Indianapolis employer to cover her personal expenses.

Heather Y. Kirby was arrested last Tuesday on four counts of forgery — each, a level 6 felony — for cutting herself 137 personal checks between July 2014 and January 2017 while working as a senior accountant at Mobile Drill, 3807 Madison Ave. She pleaded guilty Thursday to using false information in the company's accounting system to generate the checks, which totaled $455,344.88. Kirby used the dough to pay for rent, student loans, medical bills, and trips, according to Marion County Prosecutor’s Grand Jury Division.

"In an interview with investigators, Kirby admitted to taking the checks, making them out to herself and forging the signature of Mobile Drill’s president," said a Marion County news release.

Marion Superior Judge William J. Nelson ordered Kirby to serve eight years of probation, complete 320 community service hours, and pay $1,000 per month in restitution — an eight-year obligation totalling $96,000.

She was fired from Mobile Drill in January 2017 after an accountant reviewing the company's records discovered "an unusually high expense account" that had incurred more payouts than were allocated to inventory, investigators said.

After contacting vendors, the company’s president learned that those invoice numbers didn't match up to any issued invoices. Police investigators became involved in February, when they began tracing the stolen dollars and found that multiple false entries into the Mobile Drill's accounting software system were tied to Kirby's unique employee identification number. She reportedly entered the stolen funds as vendor checks. Bank records revealed that they were actually made payable to her.

“Small business owners face many challenges, and entrusting an employee to appropriately manage the company’s finances should not be one," said Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry. "Unfortunately, we have seen through the multiple prosecutions of accountants, bookkeepers and other fund managers that the temptation to siphon off company funds cannot be underestimated. It is imperative that employers report employee theft to hold the offender accountable. Once an individual has been suspected of misappropriating funds but not reported, it may signal a free pass to move on and commit the same crime with other employers.”

Kirby's senior accountant responsibilities at Mobile Drill included handling accounts payable, account reconciliations, payroll and benefits.

Image courtesy of the IMPD.