Fresno man sentenced for embezzlement, money laundering

Anthony Lester, 53, of Fresno, was sentenced Monday for embezzlement and money laundering from former employers Century Builders and Highlands Energy Services, said acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert.

U.S. District Judge Dale A. Dzrod sentenced Lester to five years and four months for mail fraud and money laundering that led to the embezzlement of $306,000. He will also pay back the money embezzled, officials said.

After a four-day trial in August, Lester was found guilty on all seven counts charged against him.

Lester served as supervisor in the accounting department at the Fresno businesses. He transferred money from the companies’ checking accounts to an alleged company PayPal account, then to his own PayPal account and finally to his personal bank account, according to court records. He did this process with company credit cards. Reports also showed he attempted to frame other employees by falsely linking them to the PayPal accounts.

Sadly, financial crimes involve, “the most trusted individuals,” said Ryan L. Spradlin, special agent at Homeland Security Investigation’s office in San Francisco.

This story was originally published November 14, 2016 at 7:32 PM with the headline "Fresno man sentenced for embezzlement, money laundering."