JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A former tax manager for Jacksonville’s Swisher International and her husband have been sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to several charges related to defrauding the cigar maker.
Gretchen Camp pled guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and was sentenced to 42 months in prison.
Her husband Richard Camp pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit mail fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. He was sentenced to 48 months in prison.
The couple initially faced a slew of charges related to the alleged embezzlement of millions of dollars from the business. At this time it's not clear if they will still be prosecuted for those charges or if they have been dropped.
A police report stated that while Gretchen Camp was working as a tax manager for Swisher Sweets International, she put together bogus invoices for a company that did not supply any services to the company. Over course of last year, an estimated $4 million was stolen.
She was released on bail and later arrested again for stealing $1.1 million.
The second arrest report stated that Camp managed to change the banking information of refunds being made by the ATF to Swisher International.
Instead, these refunds were routed to her husband's personal bank account. Investigators say that $1,194,000 dollars were transferred into the bank account.
Investigators were unaware of this scheme at the time of Camp's initial arrest and she never told them about the account.
According to our media partners at the Florida Times-Union, Richard Camp, 35, was later charged with organized fraud and money laundering after a State Attorney’s Office investigation showed a lavish lifestyle of classic cars funded with money diverted from the almost century-old cigar factory.
According to an arrest warrant for Richard Camp, his wife confessed to the ruse saying that she and her husband used some of the money to purchase a 460-acre farm in Metter, Ga. They were also planning to build several buildings on the property along with purchasing equipment and tractors to work the land, the warrant states.
A subpoena served to Bank of America revealed that large sums of money were transferred from Lodge and Anchor to Richard Camp's account, the warrant states. A $500,000 wire transfer was made to the couple's joint account to purchase a condo in Fernandina Beach, the warrant states.
Gretchen Camp also told investigators her husband purchased proceeds from the theft to buy "significant sums" of gold and silver "due to the fact that her husband is preparing for the fall of the U.S. Government," the warrant states.
According to the warrant, Richard Camp also purchased "a significant" number of firearms and ammunition with proceeds from the theft.
A database search also revealed that Richard Camp purchased nine vehicles since the date of the first theft, the warrant states. Several of the vehicles were antique collectibles, the warrant states.
Richard Camp was unemployed "and has been for some time," according to the warrant. His wife was earning $80,000 a year at Swisher, the warrant states.
"The suspect's wife confessed that she had committed this offense at the direction of this suspect (Richard Camp) because he wanted more than she could afford to buy on her salary," the warrant states.