Press Release
BROWARD COUNTY WOMAN PLEADS GUILTY TO SCHEME TO DEFRAUD ST. MAURICE CATHOLIC CHURCH
December 18, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
R. Alexander Acosta, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Eileen J. O'Connor, Assistant Attorney General, Tax Division, United States Department of Justice, Michael E. Yasofsky, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, announced today that defendant, Joann Bolliger, of Broward County, Florida, pled guilty December 18, 2007 to charges that she conspired to defraud St. Maurice Catholic Church in Dania, Florida by counterfeiting the securities/checks of the organization of approximately $800,000 in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 513(a) all in violation of, Title 18, United States Code, Section 371.
Bolliger, who worked at St. Maurice Catholic Church in Dania Florida, conspired with another church employee to forge payroll and other checks belonging to the church and then negotiated the forged checks for their personal gain.
Bolliger faces a statutory maximum sentence of five (5) years in prison, plus a fine of up to $250,000. Sentencing is set for February 29, 2008 at 9:45am before United States District Court Judge William J. Zloch.
Mr. Acosta commended the investigative efforts of the Internal Revenue Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Thomas P. Lanigan and Department of Justice Tax Division Trial Attorney Greg Bockin.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
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