Ex-Alpharetta office manager stole millions for designer bags, trips and college football tickets

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — A former office manager and executive assistant for an Alpharetta company has pleaded guilty to embezzling millions to pay for trips, designer bags and college football tickets.

The Georgia Department of Justice said that Sonya Hesenius embezzled over $3.5 million between 2015 and 2020 for a lavish lifestyle.

“Hesenius stole millions of dollars from her employer to fund a lavish lifestyle,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “Those entrusted with a fiduciary role for a company accept great responsibility. The defendant’s actions demonstrate that she cared far more about personal gain and much less about the faith and trust that her employer placed in her.”

Officials said Hesenius approved all the charges herself and withheld documents of her spending from the company, disguising them as legitimate business expenses.

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With the stolen funds, Hesenius funded her daughter’s wedding at a resort, Louis Vuitton and Chanel handbags, a car, fights for family and friends and season tickets for University of Tennessee football and basketball teams and more.

“Hesenius worked in a position of trust for a company that expected her to honor that trust,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Instead, she chose to abuse it and her personal greed not only hurt the company, but everyone who worked for them. This plea should send the message that the FBI takes wire fraud extremely seriously and will work to hold offenders accountable.”

Hesenius plead guilty to one count of wire fraud and sentencing is scheduled for March 2024.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

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