SALT LAKE CITY — A Salt Lake City woman faces 15 months in prison after embezzling nearly 1.5 million dollars from her employer.
Benedicta Okunlola, 32, will also pay $1,398,014 in restitution with a lump sum of $5,000 to be paid at or before sentencing.
Okunlola used her position as a Merchant Growth Specialist to issue 2,343 prepaid gift cards to herself, with each card issued below the threshold to require secondary approval. These cards were used on rent, online shopping, groceries, rideshares, and vacations to South Korea, Japan, South Africa and Portugal over the course of four years.
“Okunlola stole from her employer to fund her jet-setting lifestyle,” said U.S. Attorney Melissa Holyoak of the District of Utah. “It is our hope that her sentence will serve as deterrent from others thinking about engaging in fraud. By teaming up with our law enforcement partners we will continue to investigate and prosecute these cases.”
“Benedicta Okunlola’s actions were not a mistake or a lapse in judgement. It was a deliberate scheme driven by greed,” said Special Agent in Charge Robert Bohls of the Salt Lake City FBI. “The defendant violated a position of trust and caused real financial harm to her employer. This FBI remains committed to investigating complex financial crimes and holding offenders accountable.”
