Former Detroit payroll employee: I stole $265K from city
A former city of Detroit employee who worked in the payroll department pleaded guilty Tuesday to stealing $265,000 from the city through an embezzlement scheme involving her relatives.
According to the U.S. Attorneys office, Masharn Franklin, 53, of Detroit, tricked the city into writing bogus checks in the names of her relatives and then depositing the checks into hers and their bank accounts. She did this, prosecutors said, through a scam involving garnishment orders.
In 2016 and 2017, Franklin was responsible for overseeing the execution of garnishment orders for the salaries of Detroit city employees. While performing this duty, prosecutors said, Franklin concocted a scheme that involved money being garnished from city funds in the names of her relatives. Once the city had issued checks — in amounts dictated by Franklin — Franklin then deposited the checks into bank accounts held jointly by her and her relatives.
In total, prosecutors said, Franklin stole approximately $265,573 from the city of Detroit — all of which she is required to pay back under her plea agreement. The FBI has already seized $58,000 in criminal proceeds from Franklin’s bank accounts.
Read more: https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2018/05/15/detroit-employee-embezzlement-masharn-franklin/612892002/
