Lake Forest Park Police laud agency cooperation in successful arrest and prosecution of water district embezzler

Jackee Bormann-Zweekhorst, former office manager of the Lake Forest Park Water District (not a City department, but a separate public utility), was sentenced Tuesday, March 4, 2014, to 27 months in prison, three years of supervised release and more than $404,000 in restitution for wire fraud.

“I consider the cooperation between the Lake Forest Park Police Department, the Washington State Auditor’s Office, and FBI as an outstanding example of local, state and federal agencies working together on an investigation,” said Lake Forest Park Police Chief Stephen Sutton. “This cooperation ultimately led to the successful completion of the case and the conviction of Bormann-Zweekhorst.”

In March of 2011, the Lake Forest Park Police Department was notified by the General Manager of the Lake Forest Park Water District that one of their employees may be involved with fraud and/or embezzlement. The Lake Forest Park Water District is not operated by the City, but is a stand-alone public utility.

Detectives with the Lake Forest Park Police Department worked with the Washington State Auditor’s Office to compile evidence of the accusations against Water District employee Jackee Bormann-Zweekhorst, which included the use of Water District credit cards for personal use, over-paying herself and her three children and other misuse and diversion of water district funds.

During the investigation, investigators discovered the loss to the Water District and its customers was more than $300,000. As a result, the Lake Forest Park Police Department notified the FBI, who completed the investigation which resulted in the filing of criminal charges late last year in federal court against Bormann-Zweekhorst.

Bormann-Zweekhorst was ultimately convicted and sentenced 27 months in prison, three years of supervised release and more than $404,000 in restitution. The restitution includes more than $56,000 spent uncovering the seven-year fraud.