Fresno business CFO convicted of embezzlement and money laundering

FRESNO, Calif. – After a four-day trial, a federal jury returned a guilty verdict Friday against a former Fresno business chief financial officer (CFO) for mail fraud and money laundering in connection with the embezzlement of $300,000 from two local businesses.

Anthony Lester, 52, who formerly held high-level accounting positions with Century Builders and Highlands Energy Services, was convicted of two counts of mail fraud and five counts of money laundering, following a probe by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Fresno Police Department. The financial thefts involving his former employers occurred between August 2010 and January 2012

While employed by Century Builders and Highlands Energy Services, Lester held supervising positions in the accounting department, including CFO. His responsibilities included managing the firms’ finances and he had access to some of the companies’ checking accounts and credit cards. The jury found Lester used this access to defraud the firms.

According to court documents, Lester transferred money from one of the official business checking accounts into what was purported to be the companies’ PayPal account. He then transferred the money to one of his own personal PayPal accounts. Additionally, Lester transferred money from two of the firms’ credit cards to his personal PayPal account. Thereafter, he attempted to launder the proceeds of his fraudulent scheme and conceal his embezzlement by transferring money from his personal PayPal account to his personal bank accounts. None of these transactions were authorized by the firms and none were for legitimate business purposes. In total, Lester embezzled approximately $300,000 from his former employers.

“Financial crimes like this don’t just line the pockets of ethically challenged businessmen, they also pose a threat to the continuing growth and vitality of our economy,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Talbert. “We are particularly grateful for the tenacious work of our law enforcement partners in Homeland Security Investigations and the Fresno Police Department in cutting through the defendant’s elaborate efforts to conceal this complex white collar fraud.”

Lester is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd Nov. 14. He faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for mail fraud and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $500,000 fine for money laundering (or twice the value of the property involved, whichever is greater). The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick R. Delahunty and Patrick J. Suter are prosecuting the case.