NEDERLAND, Texas — A Port Neches woman has pleaded guilty and will serve 10 years of probation after embezzling over $500,000 from her former employer.
Andrea Patterson Guin, 45, of Port Neches, pleaded guilty to first degree felony theft before Judge Raquel West in the 252nd Criminal District Court.
On September 16, 2020, Harry and Mada Stark reported a theft to Officer Jacob King of the Nederland Police Department.
Harry Stark told police he owns Diers and Stark LLC, which is located at 211 S. Memorial Highway in Nederland, according to a probable cause affidavit.
He said his employee Guin, who has been employed for about eight years as a secretary, was responsible for accounts payable and accounts receivable.
She was not an authorized signer on the checking account at Chase Bank and First Financial Bank.
First Financial Bank was auditing the checking account of Diers and Stark and found an excessive amount of checks that had been written to Guin.
It was discovered that from 2017 to 2020, Guin had written herself 274 checks totaling $525,899.65.
A total of 262 checks were written on Diers and Starks account at First Financial Bank and 12 checks were written on Diers and Starks account at JP Morgan Chase Bank, according to the affidavit.
Bank employees said checks were all made payable to Guin and deposited into Guin's account at 5 Point Credit Union.
Harry and Mada Stark said that the checks in question were not authorized checks and didn't have Harry Stark's signature. The signature on the checks had been forged, according to the affidavit.
Harry and Mada Stark told police they met with Guin to terminate her from the company.
During the meeting, Guin confessed to writing the unauthorized checks, taking checks home and writing the checks to herself and forging Harry Stark's signature, according to the affidavit.
The Starks said Guin admitted to embezzling money for years and manipulating the bank statements and accounting documents for Diers and Stark that were sent to the CPA.
Officer King says he spoke with Guin on several occasions and tried to set up an appointment for her to come and speak on this case, but she was uncooperative.
Harry Stark then pursued charges in this case.
Guin was later sentenced to 10 years probation and was also ordered to pay $525,899 in restitution.