Date: August 10, 2021 Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov Pittsburgh, PA — A resident of Blairsville, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of Mail Fraud and Filing False Income Tax Returns, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today. Sandra Jo Doak pleaded guilty to two counts before United States District Judge Cathy Bissoon. In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that Doak, in her role as bookkeeper for the medical office of Matthew Klain, MD, embezzled company funds totaling approximately $592,833.30, and engaged in deceptive acts to conceal the embezzlement from her employer. The embezzlement scheme produced the following stolen funds: $536,887.21 in unauthorized checks written by Doak to herself; $26,519.26 in unauthorized checks written by Doak for personal expenditures; and $29,426.83 in unauthorized checks used to pay for Doak's personal expenses on the victim's credit card. The court was also advised that for several years between 2014 and 2019, Doak concealed the embezzled income from the IRS on her personal income tax returns, resulting in a tax loss to the IRS of $123,849. Judge Bisson scheduled sentencing for Dec. 9, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. The law provides for a total sentence of 23number years in prison, a fine of $752,250.00, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant. Assistant United States Attorney Gregory C. Melucci is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government. The United States Postal Inspection Service, Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation and the Pennsylvania State Police along with the Indiana Pennsylvania District Attorney's Office conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Sandra Jo Doak.
