A Glynn County woman, who was in charge of managing a real estate company's office, has been sentenced to prison for defrauding her employer of over a quarter of a million dollars. Tabitha Dobi, 46, from Brunswick, received a sentence of 33 months in prison after pleading guilty to Wire Fraud, according to Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.
In addition to her prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood ordered Dobi to pay $251,569 in restitution and serve three years of supervised release upon completion of her sentence. The federal system does not provide for parole.
“Tabitha Dobi misused her position to defraud hundreds of thousands of dollars from an employer who trusted her,” stated U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “This sentence holds her accountable for her fraudulent activity.”
Court records and testimony revealed that an investigation was initiated by a St. Simons-based real estate company after the disappearance of a cash deposit led to the discovery of discrepancies in their financial records.
FBI investigators found that Dobi had been using her position as the company’s office manager over four years to steal cash deposits intended for the company’s property rentals and manipulated the company’s accounting system to hide the thefts.
Dobi also directed one rental tenant to pay her directly through an online payment app and used this money for personal purposes. She further allowed friends to stay at the company’s rental properties free of charge without obtaining authorization from the company.
These schemes resulted in a loss of $251,569 for the company.
“Dobi violated the trust placed in her by her employer and will now spend time in prison paying for her crimes,” said Will Clarke, Supervisor Senior Resident Agent of FBI Atlanta’s Brunswick office. “Hopefully, this sentence sends a message that the FBI is dedicated to working with our partners to protect companies from anyone seeking to defraud them for their own personal greed.”
The FBI conducted the investigation into this case, and Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew A. Josephson prosecuted it on behalf of the United States.