Former American Diabetes Financial Analyst Pleads Guilty to Embezzling Nearly $570,000

ALEXANDRIA, VA—Adrienne Carrington, 56, of Fredericksburg, Va., pleaded guilty today to embezzling nearly $570,000 from the American Diabetes Association.

Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and James W. McJunkin, Assistant Director in Charge (ADIC) of the FBI’s Washington Field Office, made the announcement after the plea was accepted by United States District Judge Claude Hilton.

“Adrienne Carrington abused her position of trust to rip off half-a-million dollars from the American Diabetes Association in an extremely callous crime,” said U.S. Attorney MacBride. “Instead of helping the 25 million Americans affected by this serious disease, she stole the organization’s money and spent it gambling, buying fancy clothes, and dining out.”

“Carrington’s nine-year scheme victimized the American Diabetes Association while fueling her spending habits,” said ADIC McJunkin. “Employers and consumers alike should be on the lookout for fraud and report suspicious activity to the FBI.”

Carrington pled guilty to one count of wire fraud and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 when she is sentenced on Jan. 20, 2012.

According to court documents, Carrington was employed as a senior financial analyst then treasury manager for the American Diabetes Association. From August 2001 through September 2010, Carrington used her access to an American Diabetes Association bank account and accounting documents to initiate unauthorized wire transfers to an account she controlled. During the nine-year scheme, Carrington initiated 133 separate unauthorized wire transfers and embezzled a total of $569,827.48. To conceal her embezzlement, Carrington altered internal accounting documents so that the unauthorized transfers appeared to be legitimate expenses for the American Diabetes Association, such as postage charges for publications or altering previously approved purchase request forms. Carrington withdrew the money she embezzled by ATM, debit card, and checks. Carrington spent the fraudulently obtained funds at clothing stores, restaurants, and casinos.

This investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Washington Field Office. Assistant United States Attorney Uzo Asonye is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.