ST. CHARLES, Mo. (First Alert 4) – Deputy U.S. Marshals took custody of a million-dollar home Thursday that is connected to a local fraud case involving nearly $20 million in stolen funds.
People were seen moving boxes of belongings out of the home on Spring Mill Creek in St. Charles while government officials were on the property. A woman who used to live there, Connie Bobo, was sentenced earlier this year to 16 years in prison on fraud charges.
Bobo was convicted of stealing $19.7 million from a state program meant to feed hungry children from 2019 through 2022. She was the executive director of nonprofit New Heights Community Resource Center, which obtained public funds meant to go to an after-school and summer meal program for students.
Prosecutors say Bobo bought millions worth of property and a $200,000 car for her partner with the public meal funds.
A forfeiture order was issued…
THE ISUZU MOTORS PAYROLL FRAUD (GQEBERHA, SA)
Date: February 16, 2026 Perpetrator: Natasja Slabbert (42)
Case Description: In a case that hit home for the Eastern Cape business community, Natasja Slabbert, a payroll administrator at Isuzu Motors South Africa’s Struandale plant, was arrested for an alleged R10.5 million fraud. The scheme, which began surfacing in late 2024, exploited the very systems designed to manage employee compensation. Slabbert allegedly manipulated payroll records to create false entries that appeared as legitimate deductions and contributions on employee payslips. In reality, these “deductions” were being diverted into her personal bank account.
The fraud was only uncovered after diligent employees noticed that their net “take-home” pay was significantly lower than expected, despite the gross amounts on their payslips remaining high. Following a thorough probe by the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team and the NPA’s Specialised Commercial Crime Unit, it was discovered that in August 2024 alone, over R626,000 was unlawfully transferred. Slabbert was granted bail of R5,000 on February 17, 2026, and the case has been postponed to later in the month for further legal proceedings. This case highlights the critical need for “segregation of duties” in payroll departments, as a single point of failure allowed for the systematic siphoning of millions over nearly two years.
Link to Original: PE Express – Isuzu Payroll Fraud