Big Sandy woman went to federal prison for fraud in Wood County

TYLER, Texas (KLTV) – A Big Sandy woman was sentenced to federal prison and ordered to pay restitution to a company she pleaded guilty to defrauding.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, 52-year-old Tamarisk Trejo Mathews pleaded guilty to wire fraud and was sentenced on October 16 to two years and nine months in prison. She was also ordered to pay $334,252 to her victims.

Information presented in court revealed that Mathews was responsible for the accounting duties of a restaurant and music venue in Wood County. She worked in accounts receivable and accounts payable and had access to the company’s financial accounts. Mathews also had the authority to issue invoices to customers and issue checks and other payments to creditors.

Beginning in approximately December 2018, Mathews devised and began executing a scheme to unlawfully obtain money, funds and property under the restaurant’s care and control, the Justice Department said.

Among other things, she wrote checks she was not authorized to write for personal expenses, charged suppliers such as Amazon in the company’s name, and used company funds to make purchases through PayPal.

Mathews also opened an American Express account in the company’s name and obtained an American Express credit card. She then used the card and account to make personal purchases and expenses and paid American Express for those purchases and expenses using business funds and the business bank account. The scheme resulted in a loss to the company of $334,252.00, which it must repay.

The case against Mathews was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

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