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Hartford woman pleads guilty after embezzling $2.7 million from her former employer

She used some of the money to buy a beach condo in North Carolina
Posted at 5:53 AM, Sep 02, 2022
and last updated 2022-09-03 08:18:28-04

HARTFORD — A Hartford woman pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering on Thursday after she embezzled $2.7 million from her former employer, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Wisconsin.

Vicki Berka, 61, admitted to engaging in a scheme from July 2014 through Sept. 26, 2017 at her former employer, Bader Rutter & Associates.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, she used her position as Chief Financial Officer to make unauthorized transfers from Bader's health funding account into a bank account she controlled. She then falsified Bader's ledger by increasing the company's reported healthcare expenditures to hide the money she was embezzling.

Berka then used $250,000 of embezzled funds to purchase a beach condo in North Carolina.

With the guilty plea, Berka faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for the wire fraud charge and 10 years in prison for the money laundering charge. She could also face fines of up to $250,000 per count and agreed to pay a $2.7 million restitution to Bader and its insurance company.

Her sentencing has been scheduled for Dec. 1.

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