(The Center Square) – A 76-year-old Michigan woman is facing embezzlement charges for taking $20,000 or less and could face five years in prison if convicted.
Nancy Caviston, of Superior Charter Township, has bee arraigned on charges of embezzlement and wage and benefits violations before the 35th District Court in Wayne County. She is scheduled to appear before Judge James Plakas in a probable cause conference Feb. 2.
Caviston is an operator of The Caviston Agency, Inc., a Plymouth insurance agency. Prosecutors say she misappropriated payroll deductions of two long-term employees meant to serve as IRA contribution withholdings toward her personal and business expenses. She is also accused of failing to make the required employer-matching contributions toward those IRA accounts.
The federal Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration investigated Caviston. The charges are two counts of embezzlement by an agent between $1,000-$20,000, a felony punishable with five years in jail; and two counts of wages and fringe benefits violations, a misdemeanor that could net a 90-day sentence.
“Payroll fraud is an insidious offense that can go undetected for years without the victim employee becoming aware,” Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a statement. “Working Michiganders should be able to trust that their deductions are going toward their rightful purposes, especially retirement funds they intend to rely on in their post-career years.”
Caviston’s bail was set at $5,000 personal recognizance.
