A La Mesa woman who listed herself as a Girl Scout troop leader was sentenced Monday to 18 months in federal prison for taking nearly $1 million from her employer, Lloyd Pest Control.
Decca L. Graves, 43, also was ordered to repay Lloyd Pest Control $962,080 in restitution for embezzling from the company, where she worked as a bookkeeper and payroll specialist.
Graves, who had worked for the business since 2003, began taking money in 2010, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutors say Graves discovered that if she entered a negative dollar amount into the payroll system for “miscellaneous deductions,” the system would credit that amount toward her salary.
She then began embezzling funds every two weeks from April 2010 to May 2019 on 181 separate occasions, prosecutors said.
Graves pleaded guilty to a felony count of wire fraud late last year.
According to her LinkedIn account, she earned degrees from Grossmont College and San Diego State University.
She wrote that she was a Girl Scout troop leader who managed 16 second-graders.
“I find and coordinate outings, as well as collect and distribute funds as necessary,” she said. “I find professionals to teach the girls skills that I don’t possess. I keep the financial worksheets up to date and submit them within the proper time frame.”
— City News Service contributed to this report.
