A North Little Rock woman, Regina Lynn Paff, pleaded guilty Tuesday to a payroll scheme that cost her employer, AGL Corp. of Jacksonville, more than a million dollars.
Paff, 53, waived her right to be indicted by a federal grand jury and instead pleaded guilty to a single count of wire fraud filed directly by federal prosecutors, U.S. Attorney Christopher Thyer said in a press release announcing the plea.
According to federal prosecutors, Paff’s duties at AGL included preparing the payroll. Between October 2008 and September 2012, according to the information filed against her, Paff paid herself extra paychecks, reimbursement checks and commission checks, clearing about $991,000 for herself and costing her employer $1.17 million.
AGL is owned by Hexagon AB in Sweden, according to its website, and it designs and manufacturers rotating, pipe and grade lasers and machine control components
The specific wire fraud charge concerned the transfer of a single fraudulent wire transfer from East West Bank in California to Paff’s Centennial Bank account.
Paff was immediately taken into federal custody after her plea was accepted by U.S. District Judge James M. Moody Jr. A sentencing date has not been set.
The statutory maximum for wire fraud is 20 years in prison, but the sentencing guidelines suggests an actual sentence of about three years.