Embezzled $854K Helped Pay for Remodeled Backyard

Ryan Kent has spent some money in the past few years. The Missourian had his backyard remodeled, paid off old bills, went to Las Vegas to gamble, and bought a couple of vehicles, including a Cadillac Escalade. But federal prosecutors said the money wasn't his to spend. After being accused of embezzling $854,544 from his employer, Kent pleaded guilty to wire fraud on Wednesday. He now faces a prison sentence of as long as 20 years, the Raleigh News & Observer reports.

Kent was a maintenance supervisor at a pharmaceutical manufacturer in Missouri, which assigned him in July 2017 to have the location's equipment repaired or replaced. Until October 2021, Kent put supplies and equipment on his personal debit or credit cards, then altered the receipts to inflate the amount he was owed, he admitted. Kent also turned in fake invoices and asked to be reimbursed for trips to pick up equipment that he didn't make, prosecutors said. His lawyer did not respond to a request for comment. At sentencing on Nov. 9 by US District Judge John Ross, prosecutors said, Kent will be ordered to pay back the money to the company. (More embezzlement stories.)