Former Lake Forest Park Water clerk indicted for embezzling

From the Seattle office of the FBI

The former office manager of the Lake Forest Park Water District is being arraigned today on an indictment charging 15 counts of wire fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan. Jackee Bormann-Zweekhorst, 40, was scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Seattle at 2:30 Friday, March 29, 2013. The indictment alleges that Bormann-Zweekhorst used a variety of schemes to embezzle more than $350,000 from the small water district between 2004 and 2011.

According to the indictment, Bormann-Zweekhorst was responsible for submitting bills to King County for reimbursement from water district funds. Bormann-Zweekhorst was supposed to prepare the vouchers and supporting documents for the water district commissioners to review and approve. The approved vouchers then went to King County for payment. Ms. Bormann-Zweekhorst is alleged to have committed fraud through a variety of means.

On multiple occasions Bormann-Zweekhorst falsified time cards so that her children were paid for work never performed for the water district. The amount of money claimed via the falsified time cards was in excess of $100,000.

The second aspect of the scheme involved the use of the water district credit card. Bormann-Zweekhorstused the card to pay for personal items and then caused the payment of water district funds to pay the bill. Some of the expenses she billed to the water district card included college tuition for her child, hot tub parts and service, boating and automotive equipment, fishing gear, and rental car expenses. The amount of fraud on the water district credit card exceeded $90,000.

The final aspect of fraud was having the water district pay for personal items purchased with her American Express card and for other personal expenses, by claiming the expenses were work-related, when in fact, they were not. Many of the receipts submitted for reimbursement were fabricated to support purchases that never occurred. Bormann-Zweekhorst sought reimbursement for more than $70,000 in personal items and for items never purchased through this aspect of the fraud.

Wire fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The charges contained in the indictment are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The case is being investigated by the FBI and the Lake Forest Park Police Department. Significant assistance is being provided by the Washington State Auditor’s Office.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Diggs.