Louisiana man sentenced for embezzling more than $100K from mobile imaging company
A man employed to maintain and repair x-ray machines for a Louisiana-based mobile imaging company has been sentenced to two years in federal prison and ordered to pay more than $100,000 in restitution for embezzling and defrauding the firm, according to the office of U.S. Attorney David C. Joseph.
William Britt Harvey, 45, of Lecompte, Louisiana, had access to LA Imaging’s financial information as part of his duties and used the data to embezzle company funds between December 2012 and October 2014. As part of the scheme, Harvey transferred money to himself using PayPal accounts and fake invoices under the fictional company names “Global Imaging” and “CFA,” KALB News Alexandria reported Thursday.
Additionally, between September 2013 and October 2015, Harvey opened a competing imaging company called Southern Elite Imaging. Through this entity, he leased older x-ray machines owned by LAI to Cenla Occupational Medicine Services without LA Imaging’s approval. Harvey then billed Cenla for radiologist “read fees” and pocketed the money from those interpretations, along with the leasing dues from Cenla, for his personal use.
“In deciding on incarceration the presiding judge overruled four defense objections which the prosecutor acknowledged were correct and should have been upheld. I feel this provides a very strong basis for appeal to the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans and that will be our next step. My client remains free on bail,” Harvey’s attorney, Mike Small, said in a statement.
Senior U.S. District Judge Donald E. Walter also ordered Harvey to pay back $114,738.77. He pled guilty on January 22 to one count of wire fraud.
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Matt joined Chicago’s TriMed team in 2018 covering all areas of health imaging after two years reporting on the hospital field. He holds a bachelor’s in English from UIC, and enjoys a good cup of coffee and an interesting documentary.