Bookkeeper funded gambling habit by embezzling fees from 10 HOAs in Alabama, feds say
A longtime bookkeeper at a property management company in Alabama is accused of embezzling more than half a million dollars from the business — as well as from the accounts of various homeowner’s associations — to feed her gambling habits.
Aimee Louise Statham pleaded guilty to wire fraud charges in the Northern District of Alabama, court documents filed on March 1 show.
Statham worked for her father’s company, Rouland Management Services, where they managed the funds of dozens of HOAs in the state, prosecutors said in court filings. For three years beginning in 2018, Statham is accused of funneling money out of at least 10 of those accounts using unauthorized checks.
Prosecutors said she used the money for personal expenses, namely for gambling online and at casinos.
Statham could not be reached for comment. Public defenders representing her and a representative from Rouland Management did not immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment on March 4.
According to her plea agreement, Statham started working for her dad in 2006 and stayed on as a bookkeeper until August 2021. Her job duties included paying expenses for HOAs — such as utilities and landscaping.
Rouland Management, in Pelham, Alabama, was looking after about 22 HOAs as of mid-2021, the government said.
Each of those HOAs had a bank account, and Rouland Management could access the accounts in order to collect monthly dues and pay various expenses, court filings state. Statham was a signatory on those accounts, meaning she enjoyed unfettered access.
From 2018 until August 2021, Statham used that access to write checks to herself from bank accounts belonging to Rouland Management and at least 10 HOAs it managed, prosecutors said.
She is accused of depositing the money into bank accounts under her or her father’s control to use on personal expenses.
According to the government, Statham spent some of the money on gambling.
She then changed the bank statements for each account to hide the alleged fraud, court documents state, even moving funds between HOA accounts to cover her tracks.
Prosecutors estimated Statham stole between $550,000 and $1.5 million throughout the course of the scheme. As part of her plea agreement, she agreed to forfeit at least $550,000. The government also said it would request a prison sentence at the low end of the recommended guidelines, citing her “prompt recognition and affirmative acceptance of personal responsibility.”
Statham and Rouland Management are also the subject of a proposed class action lawsuit filed by at least one of the HOAs she is accused of stealing from.
The civil lawsuit, filed by Black Creek Station Homeowners Association on Feb. 1, accuses them and certain banks of mismanaging its money. At one point the HOA said it believed there was at least $45,000 in the account only to find out there was just a little over $2,000.
Court filings show Statham and Rouland have not yet responded to the allegations.
A sentencing date for Statham in the criminal case has not been set as she is scheduled to be arraigned March 10.
This story was originally published March 4, 2022 at 3:11 PM with the headline "Bookkeeper funded gambling habit by embezzling fees from 10 HOAs in Alabama, feds say."
