St. Marys woman pleads guilty to mail fraud, tax evasion in federal court Friday

October 6, 2012

ERIE - A St. Marys woman charged with embezzling nearly a million dollars from her employer entered a guilty plea to charges of mail fraud and tax evasion on Friday before a U.S. District Court Judge in Erie.
It is alleged that Sandra Ann Prechtel, 49, of St. Marys, embezzled funds while in the employ of Abbott Furnace Company in St. Marys.
According to the indictment against her, Prechtel's duties with her employer consisted primarily of handling bookkeeping and payroll operations and she controlled accounting entries in the company's books and ledgers. Through her position with the company, Prechtel also held the authority to issue checks in paying company expenses.