A woman has confessed to stealing over $2 million from six different businesses over the course of seven years in Onslow County, North Carolina.
Karen Ramos has been sentenced to state prison for a term of 7-1/2 to 10 years, according to the SBI.
The announcement of the guilty plea to six counts of embezzlement on February 18th was made today.
According to the SBI, Ramos was employed as the bookkeeper and finance manager for the six companies.
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- New Century Homes of Jacksonville, Inc.
- Carolina South Builders, Inc.
- Clayhill Farms, Inc.
- Green Recycling Solutions, LLC
- Carolina East Properties, LLC
- M&M Land Development, Inc.
Superior Court Judge Robert Roupe has issued an order for her to reimburse the victims in the amount of $1,661,955.73. According to the SBI, Ramos has already received credit for $500,000 worth of property that she returned at the onset of the investigation.
In her plea agreement, the woman confessed to using company credit cards for her personal expenses and transferring company funds to her own bank account.
According to prosecutors, Ramos utilized the funds to acquire a house, procure vehicles, motorcycles, and even secure a timeshare in Aruba. Additionally, she utilized the money to purchase inventory for her own business, which goes by the name Lauren’s Dress Shop.
“Some of the owners were using their own money to keep the business afloat and folks employed, believing the company wasn’t profitable, when all the while the problem was Ramos embezzling the funds,” said Janelle Cline, a special prosecutor in the case.
Back in November 2022, Ramos faced a total of 10 embezzlement charges.