(Cleveland) - After a seven-month investigation, a Cuyahoga County Grand Jury has indicted four people who fleeced a construction company out of $464,000.
The 91 count indictment includes Theft, Receiving Stolen Property, Forgery, Money Laundering, and Telecommunications Fraud.
Sharon Collier of Twinsburg was the office manager for Taylored Construction in Solon. From 2013 to 2017, she managed financial operations and had signature authority on all business accounts.
Sharon, 53, forged checks, used credit cards, and stole money from company loans. She spent the money with her husband, Michael Collier, 56, for their personal use including travel, a wedding, college tuition, student loan payments, spa visits, restaurants, groceries, and everyday purchases.
Over $45,000 of the stolen funds were ATM withdraws from the Thistledown Racino. Sharon also wrote fraudulent payroll checks to her son totaling over $37,000.
“The Glenwillow Police Departments extensive investigation with my offices Economic Crime Unit uncovered this nearly half-million dollar fraud,” said Prosecutor Michael O’Malley. “This greedy family almost brought a hardworking business to its knees.”
In addition to the Collier family’s involvement, Sharon’s twin sister, Sarah Niehoff, made over $200,000 in cash deposits to her personal bank account in Cincinnati.
(Photo by Joe Raedle - Getty Images)