HICKORY, N.C. — A paralegal from Hickory is accused of embezzling over $1.5 million from clients at the law firm she once worked at.
Jennifer Elaine Roarke, 54, was indicted on Wednesday by the Western District of North Carolina for embezzling more than $1.5 million from her firm's clients. Investigators allege that Roarke misused her access and position in her firm to execute the embezzlement scheme.
The alleged scheme consisted of making hundreds of unauthorized wire transfers from bank accounts associated with the trusts of the law firms’ clients to bank accounts controlled by Roarke. Investigators claim she did this over the span of six years, from 2015 through 2021.
Roarke was indicted on wire fraud charges, which carry a maximum prison sentence of 20 years and a $250,000 fine if found guilty.
Roarke, who is also known as Jennifer Claveria, was using the embezzled funds to make payments on personal items, such as her mortgage and credit card payments, as well as to “fund an extravagant lifestyle,” prosecutors alleged in a news release.
Her role as an assistant and paralegal for the law firm in Hickory included duties such as opening mail, depositing checks into trust bank accounts, and processing invoices. Part of the work done by the law firm she worked for also involved handling the administration and management of their client’s trusts.
The investigation was handled by the Western District of North Carolina and was assisted by the FBI throughout the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cassye Cole with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte is now in charge of the prosecution.