Woman Who Embezzled $500K from Hospitality Association Gets 30 Months in Prison

The former accountant for the S.C. Hospitality Association will spend 30 months in prison for embezzling nearly $500,000 from the organization.

Rachel Duncan, 41, was sentenced in federal court Tuesday. U.S. District Judge Joseph F. Anderson Jr. also ordered Duncan to pay $367,508.84 in restitution to the hospitality association and $85,333 to the Internal Revenue Service.

Duncan .

Between 2006 and 2012, Duncan took about $480,000 from the hospitality association by writing checks to herself and depositing them in her personal account, and by transferring money to her debit card, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office. She used the money for online gambling. 

Duncan didn't report her illegal income to the IRS between 2006 and 2012, which means she failed to pay $85,333 in taxes, according to the release.

Former hospitality association President Tom Sponseller  after he learned about a federal investigation into missing money at his organization.

Auditors hired by the association in March found no evidence that Sponseller was involved with the missing money. 

Duncan will self-report to prison when notified to do so by the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, which typically takes two months.