‘Greed and deceit.’ Jury convicts Warner Robins office manager in $200K embezzlement scheme

A jury has convicted a former office manager of a Middle Georgia chiropractor in a $200,000 embezzlement scheme, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Emiliya Radford was found guilty last week of bank fraud, wire fraud and federal program theft after an hour of jury deliberations. Radford was hired at Smith Spinal Center in May 2020 and had access to the office’s bank account. She used that account to write checks to her marketing business, Cyber Pinecone, without authorization, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Radford’s marketing company was hired by Smith Spinal Care Center in September 2019, but she became the office’s manager in May 2020, according to evidence presented at her trial. Her job at the chiropractic office included issuing and signing all biweekly payroll checks, including her own, as well as doing marketing work for them.

In order to complete the duties of her role, Radford was given authority over the office’s bank account with Wells Fargo. The U.S. Attorney’s office said she took the opportunity to write and endorse checks to Cyber Pinecone and gave herself an unauthorized pay raise. Some of the funds she used came from COVID-19 Federal Economic Disaster Loans, which helped small businesses recover from the economic impact of the pandemic.

She also bought $11,015 worth of Apple products that were shipped to her own home, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Radford quit on Dec. 19, 2022. Her house was raided May 4 last year, and investigators found all the Apple products she had bought with Smith Spinal Care Center’s money.

“Emiliya Radford chose greed and deceit with her embezzlement scheme that victimized a small business that had operated in the Warner Robins community for many decades,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “Financial crimes devastate hard-working, law-abiding citizens and will not be tolerated by this office or our law enforcement partners.”

She will be sentenced on Oct. 9 by Judge Marc Treadwell. She could face 30 years and a $1 million fine for bank fraud, 20 years and a $250,000 fine for wire fraud and a 10 years and $250,000 fine for federal program theft, said the U.S. District Attorney’s office. She is not eligible for parole.

“Radford violated the trust of the company that hired her and elevated her to a position of leadership,” said Robert Gibbs, senior supervisory senior resident agent of FBI Atlanta’s Macon office. “Because of her self-interest and greed, she has not only thrown away her career, but will spend time in prison for her crime.”