Oklahoma City, Oklahoma–RODNEY ALAN HAGER, 38, of Norman, Oklahoma, was sentenced today by United States District Judge David L. Russell to serve 48 months in federal prison for embezzlement over $7 million from his employer, announced Mark A. Yancey, United States Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma.
According to court records, from 2007 through March of 2014 Hager worked as the bookkeeper of J&B Pipe Supply Co. ("J&B"), an Oklahoma City based oil field pipeline supply company. Included in his responsibilities was the making of wire transfers drawn on J&B’s corporate bank account to pay bills for the company and recording those payments in the company’s accounting software. From December of 2009 to November of 2013, during some of the same time frame that he served as J&B’s bookkeeper, Hager owned Mall Concepts of Oklahoma, Inc. ("Mall Concepts"), which operated mall kiosks in Oklahoma, Texas, Florida, Georgia, and elsewhere.
It was alleged that Hager embezzled from J&B and used three primary methods to defraud the company: (1) Hager wired funds from J&B’s bank account to accounts under his control, including Mall Concepts’ account, and disguised the transfers in J&B’s books as legitimate business expenses; (2) Hagar opened credit cards in the name of a J&B principal, used those cards for personal use, and paid the credit card bills by wiring funds from J&B’s account and disguising them in J&B’s books as legitimate business expenses; and (3) Hagar took blank checks signed by J&B principals given to him to purchase supplies or pay business expenses and used them for his personal benefit.
Hagar was charged by Information on June 3, 2016, with wire fraud and money laundering. He pled guilty on October 11, 2016, to committing wire fraud and money laundering. As part of his plea, he admitted that he would pay restitution to J&B in the amount of $7,138,804.58.
At today’s sentencing, Judge Russell sentenced Hager to serve 48 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Hagar was also ordered to pay $7,138,804.58 in restitution to J&B.
This case is a result of an investigation conducted by the Internal Revenue Service and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica L. Perry.