Northeast Iowa Office Manager Pleads Guilty to $200K Embezzlement Scheme

A northeast Iowa woman has pleaded guilty to stealing over $200,000 from the tax preparation business at which she was the office manager.

At her plea hearing Wednesday (July 19) in federal court in Cedar Rapids,  51-year-old Heather Migliore of Waukon admitted that, from January 2015, through November 2021, she stole no less than $200,000 from her employer, a tax preparation business with offices in Waukon and Decorah. 

As office manager, she was responsible for its finances, including payroll and paying bills. Migliore used a signature stamp of the business owner to write and sign checks to herself.  To cover up her scheme, Migliore then deleted the checks from the business’s electronic bookkeeping system.  

Authorities also add that, beginning in July 2019, she also made over $20,000 in fraudulent credit card charges on the business’s credit cards and used the stolen funds to pay her personal expenses. 

Migliore was convicted of one count of wire fraud and her sentencing will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  She remains free on bond, but faces a possible maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release following any imprisonment

The case was investigated by the Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office.