She was ordered to pay $270,131.89 in restitution. Donna Steele arrives Thursday afternoon at the federal courthouse in Charlotte for sentencing on embezzlement charges, Steeles detractors and supporters submitted letters to the court seeking to influence the sentence. Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. 2023 Cox Media Group. Cayer gave her a $25,000 unsecured bond and ordered that she surrender her passport. Steele spent more than $1 million on personal travel, according to court documents. ROBERT C. REED, RECORD Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Former NC CEO accused of embezzling $15 million accepts plea deal. This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. Steele worked there in 1994-95 when Jack Perkins was the owner. Her personal card would never be rejected, Mooneyham wrote. They noted the company hired and promoted Steele despite her lack of education and the fact she was on supervised release after serving a federal prison sentence for personally cashing checks from another business. Steele faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Steele had earlier agreed to pay restitution. The charge of wire fraud carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. There was a problem saving your notification. Oliver's Landing New Build. 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Hickory fiber optic manufacturer CommScope was the victim of a ransomware attack in late March, the company confirmed in a statement Tuesday. Tigra was founded in Germany in 1983 by Harald Feld and Helge Motzer, the companys website says. Kevin Griffin is the City of Hickory reporter at the Hickory Daily Record. Donna Steele pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $15 million from a Hickory business over seven years. Steele faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. 1. Carter spent the last 20 years as an event planner for Chick-fil-A, she said. Steele pleaded guilty to wire fraud in federal court in Charlotte. SE Hickory, NC 28602 . In pushing for a relatively lenient sentence, Steeles attorneys argued that her mental health challenges, particularly a desire to buy love as a result of an abusive childhood, contributed to her embezzlement. The property was previously owned by Timothy and Donna Steele. She agreed to start early repayment in March. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Federal defendant Donna Steele, right, escorted by attorney Ronald Frey arrives at the federal courthouse in Charlotte on Wednesday morning to face wire fraud charges. She was fired from the company on Jan. 28, 2020. Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. The judge also ordered that she pay 10 percent of the restitution the day of her sentencing. During her six months with the company, Britt Perkins said Steele embezzled more than $500,000. The address on file for this person is 178 North Shore Dr, Hickory, NC 28601 in Catawba County. Chapman wrote that Steele created an atmosphere of fear and instability within the workplace and hired all of her staff as young, impressionable people and then conditioned them to fit her narrative.. She claimed her parents were very wealthy and that was how she could afford all of the stuff she did, he said. Court documents showed Steele spent over half a million on jewelry alone. Granite Falls, NC. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Prosecutors said she used company credit cards, checks and wire transfers to steal company funds, transferring $350,000 to a boutique company called Opulence by Steele, a luxury clothing and boutique company she created in 2013. You have permission to edit this article. In addition to the credit card purchases, Steele admitted to issuing and causing to be issued to herself approximately 98 checks totaling more than $2.8 million from TIGRAs bank accounts, which Steele deposited into her personal bank account. Tigra is a manufacturing company that makes cutting materials for tools. Donna Steele, 47, is accused of embezzling $15 million from 2013 until 2020 from her employer, Tigra, in Hickory where she worked as CEO. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). Steele has shown no remorse to or sentiment to what she has done to brides and their families for their special and memorable day., A wedding planner also wrote to the judge about Steele, claiming: She tried to scam my bride out of about $2,000 worth of furniture the bride had wanted to rent from a third party (Julie Vega, Wedding Planner).. There was a problem saving your notification. Mooneyham, Chapman and Holm described a work environment where employees were demeaned and turned against one another. Email: kgriffin@hickoryrecord.com. Please subscribe to keep reading. Past Addresses: Hickory NC, Kannapolis NC +11 more. She didnt say a word as Channel 9 tried asking her about the embezzlement as she walked into the federal courthouse. Please subscribe to keep reading. You have permission to edit this article. You have permission to edit this article. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, in a press release. We are gratified that justice is being done, Motzer, the president of the company, said in an email. The Brookford Police Department will be making a second appearance on the TV show On Patrol: Live this weekend. Steele was employed at the company in 1999 and was promoted to chief executive officer in 2015, federal court documents say. Before Donna Osowitt Steele was charged with embezzling $15 million from TIGRA USA in Hickory, she pleaded guilty to embezzling from a family business in Winston-Salem in 1995. 2. We learned an unknown amount of jewelry was turned over the federal officials. Donna Steele enters the federal courthouse in Charlotte on Thursday afternoon. Whether its raising two chickens, gardening or whatever. Steele used company credit cards to pay for $6 million in personal expenditures, including high-end retail store purchases, luxury hotel accommodations, event ticket purchases, expensive jewelry, family weddings and purchases related to Opulence by Steele, a luxury clothing and boutique company the defendant founded in 2013, the news release stated. Prosecutors said Steele used company credit cards, checks and wire transfers to steal company funds. She used some of the money to pay for her lavish lifestyle and family businesses. Holm wrote that she was hired at age 23 and that working under Steele had a detrimental and lasting impact on both my mental and emotional health. She recalled being bombarded by angry customers unhappy with the service from the company and having to work overtime to satisfy those customers. Business owner says Alexander County woman's embezzlement scheme in 1995 cost company $500,000; Donna Steele expected in court Wednesday to face charges of embezzling $15 million. Steele admitted that, in an effort to hide the fraudulent scheme, she limited communications and interactions between the employees and owners for TIGRA and monitored communications that did occur, she convinced employees that company owners should be feared, and lied to employees about the true nature of TIGRAs financial trouble, according to the news release. After pleading guilty, Channel 9 now knows that as part of her plea agreement, Steele has agreed to pay full restitution in the embezzlement case and is liquidating her assets, according to court documents. Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. A Hickory man charged in a fatal hit-and-run in Claremont made his first appearance in Catawba County court on Monday. We build and install lighted signs.. @wsoctv pic.twitter.com/SVeD7EhyWr. The phone number for Donna is (828) 322-3512 (Central Tel Co of North Carolina). Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. The judge could also consider that in the 1990s, Steele was jailed for her role in another embezzlement case where she was accused of stealing half a million dollars from a family-owned business near Winston-Salem. It was said in court that TIGRA is looking for more than $16 million in restitution. It was a slap on the wrist, he said. Assets like this wedding venue in Alexander County, where Seth Couch planned on being married in May. We were all pawns in Donnas game.. Donna Osowitt Steele of Taylorsville is accused of embezzling over $15 million from her employer Tigra, in Hickory, between 2013 and 2020. Motzer was joined in the courtroom by about a dozen TIGRA employees. Court documents reveal Donna Steele took more than $15 million from a business in Hickory. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, Van crashes into industrial clinic on Tate Boulevard in Hickory; no serious injuries reported, Hickory fiber optic company suffered ransomware attack in March, Catawba County Schools announces 5 new principals, LOCAL PRO ROUNDUP: Bumgarner released by D-backs after clearing waivers, Comic book store owner's heroic action leads to arrest of man on attempted rape charge in Hickory, Alexander County high school received concerning call; students are safe, additional police responding, Wine, NC beer now available at two more businesses in downtown Newton, Car flips onto roof, one person injured in Hickory crash, New property values in Catawba County are a land and money grab, Hickory man makes court apperance in fatal hit-and-run, 9-year-old, baby remain hospitalized after crash that killed mother, He was born with defective heart; foundation in his memory touched many in Catawba County, Newton-Conover's Garcia signs with Carolina University for soccer, See a clip now: 'Bar Rescue' episode featuring Hickory pub that airs at 10 p.m. on April 23, Board denies book appeal in 4-3 vote; book challenger says policy unclear, Ukrainian soldiers get targeted by rockets while digging trenches near Bakhmut, Scientists launch new study into humans after realizing spiders lose eyesight due to malnutrition, Analysis: Mom and pop safe as First Republic Bank fails, Biden vows banking system is 'safe and sound'. Perkins was not satisfied with the sentence Steele received in 1995. Donna Osowitt Steele is accused of embezzling more than $15 million from her employer, Tigra, in Hickory between 2013 and 2020, according to court documents. Employees of a tool company in Hickory condemned their former CEO Donna Steele as a manipulative liar in letters to a federal judge . You have permission to edit this article. Court documents say the embezzlement was discovered after vendors began withholding products from Tigra because of nonpayment or late payments, customers complaining about being placed on credit holds, employees having their company credit cards declined, and employees not being paid on time. Carter and Goewey said their desire to serve comes from decades spent in the hospitality industry. You can cancel at any time. Irene Wysong Cline, Andrew Bridgeforth, and eight other persons are also associated with this address. There was a problem saving your notification. Defendant has a long history of mental problems and at present cannot assist her attorney in the preparation of her case, a motion filed with court documents on Steeles fraudulent rental of motor vehicle charge in Forsyth County reads. discontinued martha stewart dishes,