GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Police say a former employee at a Gwinnett County business stole from her former job, causing them to lose more than half a million dollars.
Channel 2 Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Matt Johnson learned the woman arrested had a chance to give the money back.
“When there’s this much money missing, people are going to notice,” Sgt. Collin Flynn with Gwinnett County police said.
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Police told Johnson that Melissa Dowd, the former employee, had eight months to return the nearly $657,000 she’s accused of stealing.
“She did not, so that’s when charges were actually filed,” Flynn told Channel 2 Action News.
Flynn said the 58-year-old stole $656,960.89 from her former employer, WideData Corporation in Peachtree Corners.
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Police said someone at the company told them in April that a large amount of money was missing from the IT services company. When white-collar investigators started following where the money went, they learned Dowd had allegedly submitted fake invoices for months.
“Before they were sent out, she would change the invoice to her name and then cash the money and take it,” Flynn said.
Arrest warrants from Gwinnett County police revealed Dowd is accused of depositing nearly 200 forged checks until her former bosses noticed in April.
“She was also changing her salary and doubling her paycheck, then changing her W-2 to reflect a lower salary so she wouldn’t have to pay taxes on some of the money she was stealing,” Flynn said.
Dowd was booked into the Gwinnett County Jail on Tuesday for felony theft and forgery charges. Police told Channel 2 Action News that if she’s convicted, she could face up to 15 years in prison.
“In these kinds of cases, it’s just a matter of time before you’re caught,” Flynn told Johnson.
WideData Corporation shared a statement with Channel 2 Action News that read:
At WideData Corporation, trust, security, and integrity are the cornerstones of our business. Recently, we were made aware of criminal actions by a former employee, who exploited internal systems for personal gain, resulting in the theft of over $400,000 in corporate funds. We want to reassure our clients and partners that no client funds were impacted at any time, and this incident was isolated to internal corporate accounts.
Upon discovery of the scheme, WideData took immediate action. The individual in question was terminated, and we worked closely with law enforcement to ensure the case was thoroughly investigated. This has now resulted in the arrest of the former employee.
WideData has strengthened its internal safeguards and remains fully committed to delivering the trusted, secure services our clients have come to rely on. While we regret that such actions occurred, we remain focused on maintaining the highest standards of professionalism and service.
We appreciate your understanding and continued confidence in WideData.
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