MADISON, WI — A press release recently issued by the Department of Justice (DOJ) indicates that on August 25, 2017, Barbara Snyder, 59, of West Salem, Wisconsin, a, pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud and tax evasion. On Thursday, November 9, Jeffrey M. Anderson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Snyder was sentenced to four years in federal prison by U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson. The investigation into Snyder’s financial activities was initiated by the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS): merely one among thousands of prosecutions recommended each year.

Defendant Sentenced to 4 Years in Embezzlement, Tax Evasion Scheme Involving Church Funds

Prior to being criminally charged, Snyder was employed as a combination secretary and accounting clerk by St. Patrick’s Church in Onalaska, Wisconsin. Snyder likely believed her professional knowledge of tax law would enable her to elude detection by the IRS, but as demonstrated by her conviction (and many convictions obtained under similar circumstances), it is increasingly difficult for taxpayers to conceal acts of fraud or deception.

Snyder was, in her capacity as secretary and accounting clerk, entrusted with management of church collections. From the period spanning 2006 to 2015, Snyder embezzled from collections an amount of roughly $832,210. Rather than depositing the church collections as required by her job duties, Snyder retained funds to spend on personal pursuits like gambling.

Snyder took several actions, all of which were ultimately unsuccessful, to avoid attracting notice by the government. According to the DOJ press release, “Snyder discarded records of church collections, created false entries in accounting records, and lied to church auditors.” Additionally, in failing to disclose the income she (illegally) obtained through embezzlement of church funds, Snyder filed a false federal income tax return in 2015.

Snyder was eventually targeted for an IRS criminal investigation, led by CID with assistance from her former employer, St. Patrick’s Church, and the Diocese of La Crosse. After pleading guilty to charges of tax evasion and wire fraud, Snyder was sentenced to four years in prison. Specifically, Judge Peterson sentenced the defendant to two concurrent sentences: one four-year sentence for the wire fraud offense, to be served concurrently with a one-year sentence imposed for the tax evasion offense. Judge Peterson was critical of Snyder’s conduct during sentencing, noting the financial harm inflicted upon the local church community.

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