A former employee of the Las Vegas Valley Water District has pled guilty to defrauding the public utilities company of over $6.7 million, according to U.S. Attorney Dayle Elieson of the District of Nevada.
43-year-old Jennifer J. McCain-Bray, also known as JJ McCain, used her position as a purchasing analyst for the water district to purchase ink and toner cartridges for the water district. She would repackage the ink and toner and send it to New Jersey to be resold. The company in New Jersey would then deposit money into her PayPal account.
McCain-Bray used the money to remodel and improve her home, take trips, give gifts to family members and friends, and other lifestyle expenses. Between 2007 and 2015, McCain-Bray fraudulently purchased approximately $6.7 million in ink and toner cartridges with LVVWD funds.
McCain-Bray also failed to report her profits from the scheme on her personal tax returns for tax years 2011 to 2015. For those years, she failed to report a total of $2,339,156.12 in taxable income to the Internal Revenue Service.
She has pled guilty to one count of mail fraud and one count of subscribing to a false tax return. Sentencing is set for January 29, 2019. The maximum penalty for mail fraud is 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, and the maximum penalty for subscribing to a false tax return is three years in prison and a $250,000 fine. She also faces a $6,715,531 criminal forfeiture money judgment.
