Michigan woman pleads no contest to embezzlement involving her father's funds
A Michigan woman pleaded no contest to charges that included embezzlement from her father's funds and separate fraud incidents involving her business.
Laura Dietz, 44, of Macomb Township, will be sentenced on Aug. 4 on the four charges: embezzlement from a vulnerable adult, non-sufficient funds check, and two counts of false pretenses, the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office said.
In exchange for her pleas, the prosecutor's office agreed to dismiss another false pretenses case for which Dietz had paid full restitution before charges were filed.
The embezzlement charge is a 15-year felony. The prosecutor's office said that while Dietz served as guardian for her father, she embezzled more than $93,000 from him. During that time, she failed to pay her father's nursing home expenses and instead used the funds to repay victims of fraud involving her fence company.
The two counts of false pretenses, each involving $1,000 to $20,000, stem from two separate incidents involving her business, Dietz Fence LLC. The prosecutor's office said she accepted down payments for residential fence installations from residents of St. Clair Shores and Shelby Township. But she failed to perform the contracted work and stopped communicating with the property owners.
The non-sufficient funds case involves a $11,751.14 check to Elite Fence Products that was returned for insufficient funds. The payment was never settled, the prosecutor's office said.
"Fraud is not a victimless crime. The defendant repeatedly exploited the trust of hardworking customers and even her own vulnerable father for personal financial gain," Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido said.
The plea also has implications for a prior investigation. The prosecutor's office said Dietz was on probation under a delayed sentencing agreement for at least two prior fraud-related cases involving the fence company. That agreement has been revoked due to the latest circumstances.
Dietz also remains subject to extradition to Winnebago County, Wisconsin, where she faces a charge of false pretenses, the prosecutor's office said.
