Tonya Lee Mims said she wanted to help her former husband live his dream to become a pro golf player when she skimmed nearly $2 million from her employer over a five-year period.
In U.S. District Court on Wednesday, Mims was sentenced to almost three years in federal prison for her crime. But officials with her former employer questioned how a woman who took so much money can now say she has no assets.
Mims is a former office manager for Superior Care Pharmacy Inc. in Salt Lake City, which sells pharmaceutical, medical and surgical products. Mims admitted to depositing checks for the company into her own bank account and altering the company's books to cover up the missing funds. Over a five-year period, she took about $1.8 million.
Last April, Mims, 29, pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud in connection to a $22,508 check that she deposited into her personal account in December 2002.
In court Wednesday, U.S. District Judge David Winder said the punishment was enhanced due to the "staggering" amount of money taken. Mims was given credit for the fact that she accepted responsibility for her actions and had no past criminal history.
Mims asked the court to spare her prison time, pointing out that she had two children to care for. She also said the reason why she took the money was to feed her ex-husband's desire to be a professional golfer and that much of the money went to paying his expenses.
However, with the exception of a large home worth close to $390,000 that has several mortgages, Mims said she had no other assets and had to declare bankruptcy.
Jeff Stevens, attorney for parent company Omni Care, questioned where all the money went. Stevens pointed out that Mims would have had to spend an average of $75,000 a month and would have had something to show for it.
"To say that this just simply vanished without anything to show for it is simply beyond belief," Stevens told the court, adding his company suspects Mims has hidden the stolen funds somewhere.
Mims' attorney, Robert Knight, said his client has agreed to pay back the $1.8 million but that it will likely mean she will be writing out $1,000 checks every month for the rest of her life.
"I know what I've done was wrong," Mims said, adding she understood the consequences but wanted the court to think about her children.
Winder noted that a crime this severe could not go without prison time and sentenced Mims to 33 months in prison, which was the lowest amount of time on the sentencing scale.
Although prosecutors said Mims' home, which is currently up for sale while her family moves to Phoenix, has about $100,000 in equity, Mims denied the home was worth more than $320,000. Winder allowed her to serve her prison sentence in Phoenix to allow her to be close to her family.
Winder granted Stevens' request to have an independent appraiser value the home to determine if the home could be sold and the proceeds go toward her restitution.
E-mail: gfattah@desnews.com