Fort Worth Woman Gets 6 Years for Embezzling $200K to Fund Life of Foreign Travel, Shopping Sprees

A Fort Worth woman has been sentenced to six years in prison after she embezzled more than $200,000 from the sign-making company she worked for and used it to fund a lavish lifestyle including international vacations, shopping sprees and a new Mercedes-Benz.Molly Ann Guidry, 43, was sentenced Tuesday by a Tarrant County judge. She pleaded guilty to one felony count of theft in July.Guidry was hired by family-owned Legacy Signs of Texas in 2011 to manage the business's office and keep its books, the Tarrant County district attorney's office said.In October 2015, the company's owners were notified of possible fraudulent activity on their accounts, and investigators learned that Guidry had been using company funds to pay her bills and fund a life of luxury.Investigators determined that Guidry transferred more than $120,000 of Legacy Signs' money to pay off her rent and credit card bills, as well as car payments for both herself and her husband. She also issued herself forged checks worth more than $90,000.Financial statements showed that Guidry spent the money on trips to Belize, England and Jamaica; shopping sprees at designer clothing stores; and meals at fine-dining restaurants. She had weekly massages and a maid service, and she drove a new Mercedes-Benz, the district attorney's office said.The judge in Guidry's case ordered a pre-sentencing investigation after she pleaded guilty; authorities determined Guidry forged character references that were submitted to the court.  Continue reading...