San Antonio woman pleads guilty to embezzling $1.7 million from private law firm

SAN ANTONIO (KTSA News) — The U.S. Attorney’s office said that a San Antonio woman pled guilty Tuesday to stealing nearly $1.7 million from a local private law firm.

Irene M. Scott admitted to stealing the $1,696,996 in her role as a bookkeeper and financial manager between 2011 and 2020.

According to reports, Scott used three business credit cards in the name of other employees or former employees to make purchases totaling more than $1.2 million, with three-quarters of those funds used to support her husband’s business. Officials said she also stole $417,000 from the firm’s operating account over the course of 200 withdrawals from January 2018 to February 2020 and disguised the transactions as vendor payments on official documentation.

Scott faces three counts of wire fraud and one count of bank fraud.

Wire fraud is a third-degree felony, punishable by up to 20 years in prison and fines up to $500,000; Bank fraud is a third-degree felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison and fines up to $1,000,000.

According to the Department of Justice, Scott remains on bond and has a sentencing hearing scheduled for November 9.