IONIA TWP., Mich. (News 10) – The former treasurer of Ionia Township is facing federal charges for allegedly stealing nearly $750,000 in taxpayer dollars over the course of a decade.
Marylin Harp, 74, was charged Tuesday in an alleged bank fraud scheme. U.S. Attorney Timothy VerHey alleges Harp wrote fraudulent checks from an Ionia Township-controlled account to pay for her own personal expenses.
Court documents say the allegations include spending the money on credit card bills and expenses associated with the construction of a vacation home.
In total, federal authorities allege Harp fraudulently withdrew more than $747,000.
“These transactions defrauded the Township because the defendant fraudulently represented the withdrawals as legitimate Township payments and concealed the withdrawals from it as the owner of the bank account,” the complaint says.
The feds say Harp also made…
This category refers to crimes committed by employees or insiders against their own organizations. It is often the most damaging because the perpetrator has authorized access to systems.
- Asset Misappropriation: The most common form, involving the theft of company resources. This ranges from simple “skimming” (taking cash before it’s recorded) to complex schemes involving the theft of inventory or intellectual property.
- Payroll Fraud: Employees may create “ghost employees” on the system, falsify their own timesheets to claim unworked overtime, or divert salary payments to their own accounts.
- Financial Statement Fraud: Management deliberately misrepresents the company’s financial health by inflating revenue or hiding liabilities to attract investors or meet performance bonuses.