Law firm controller admits to $1.48 million payroll fraud

Dallas, Texas - In a significant legal development this Tuesday, Christiane Kathleen Irwin, a 44-year-old controller at a notable law firm, pleaded guilty to wire fraud.

She confessed to inflating her payroll, accumulating unauthorized funds of $1.48 million within three years. This was confirmed by Leigha Simonton, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas.

Irwin, initially indicted in March 2022, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Toliver to admit her offenses. Court records provide details on her fraudulent actions. Holding the significant duty of managing and processing weekly payroll at her workplace, where she had an annual salary of roughly $140,000, Irwin altered the figures to her advantage.

Due to Irwin's misleading payroll submissions, the firm's payroll service unknowingly transferred the excess amounts from the firm's account to Irwin's personal bank account every two weeks. The sum of these unauthorized transfers from 2019 to 2021 amounted to the previously mentioned $1.48 million.

Facing a potential sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison, Irwin's sentencing is set for January 3, 2024. As part of her admission of guilt, she agreed that the repayment owed to her former employer is more than the $1.48 million she wrongly obtained.

The investigation leading to this crucial legal juncture was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office. Handling the prosecution are Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nashonme Johnson and Jenna Rudoff, with the support of Financial Auditor Sheila Powell.

Credit: United States Attorney's Office Northern District of Texas, Dallas Metro News