An Upshur County woman has been sentenced to federal prison and ordered to pay restitution for committing wire fraud in the Eastern District of Texas, U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs announced.
Tamarisk Trejo Mathews, 52, of Big Sandy, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Jeremy Kernodle on October 16, 2024. In addition to her prison sentence, Mathews was ordered to pay $334,252.00 in restitution.
Court records indicate that Mathews was responsible for accounting duties at a restaurant and music venue in Wood County, Texas. Her responsibilities included accounts receivable, accounts payable, and access to the business’s financial accounts. She also had the authority to issue invoices to customers and make payments to creditors.
Beginning in December 2018, Mathews devised and executed a scheme to unlawfully obtain funds and assets belonging to the restaurant. This included writing unauthorized checks for personal expenditures, making purchases from vendors such as Amazon in the business's name, and using business funds for transactions through PayPal.
Additionally, Mathews opened an American Express account under the restaurant's name, obtaining an American Express credit card, which she used for personal purchases. She then paid American Express for these transactions using business funds and the business bank account. The fraudulent scheme resulted in a total loss of $334,252.00 to the restaurant.
This case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Jackson.
