Judge hands down one year sentence to animal hospital’s former office manager who embezzled more than $200,000

A former office manager for the County Veterinary Hospital in Bloomer will spend a year in prison for wire fraud and filing a false tax return.

41-year-old Joleen Minnich of Chippewa Falls used her position as office manager to embezzle approximately $224,596 from the business’ bank account by creating 204 fraudulent checks to herself, according to an investigation conducted between 2014 and 2017.

Minnich pleaded guilty to her charges on April 25. Minnich also admitted during her plea hearing that she purposely failed to remit payroll taxes to the IRS to hide her embezzlement.

The owner of County Veterinary Hospital and longtime family friend of Minnich called her embezzlement a “special type of betrayal,” according to the judge.

U.S. District Judge William Conley sentenced her to 12 months and one day in prison Wednesday.