Canonsburg woman gets two years for mail fraud
PITTSBURGH – A Canonsburg woman has been sentenced to 24 months in prison and three years of supervised release following her mail fraud conviction.
Teri L. Zemencik, 50, of 722 Howard St., was sentenced Wednesday by U.S. District Judge David S. Cercone. She was convicted of embezzling more than $494,000 from her former employer, IGS Industries Inc. of Meadow Lands, from December 2009 through March 2015.
Zemencik, who was a payroll supervisor and accounting clerk, issued about 145 checks from the company’s account to legitimate vendors, but used false invoice numbers.
After the checks were generated, authorities said she re-entered the accounting system and altered them so that payments instead went to her credit card accounts.
An investigation showed that most of the embezzled funds were used to repay cash advances charged to Zemencik’s personal credit cards.
The investigation further determined Zemencik used the money she obtained from the cash advances to gamble at local casinos.
Zemencik also was ordered to pay full restitution to her former employer.
She pleaded guilty to four charges of mail fraud in August.