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Allegations of embezzlement have been lodged against a Pierceton woman in a civil lawsuit filed recently in Kosciusko Superior Court I.
Debra Sue Brown is accused of embezzling funds from her employer, Forte Residential Inc. of Syracuse, in excess of $100,000, and of allegedly using fraudulently issued credit cards to charge more than $37,000 in personal expenses.
Because the allegations constitute a crime, Forte Residential is entitled, according to Indiana law, to recover an amount equal to three times the actual damages, plus attorney fees. The court documents seeking judgment of $411,000 are signed by Tom Van Meter, president of Forte Residential.
Detective William "Butch" Van Vactor of the Syracuse Police Department confirmed Tuesday that a criminal case also is being pursued against Brown. Van Vactor said charges against Brown are expected within the next two weeks. He also said Brown has not cooperated in the criminal investigation.
Also in connection with the civil case, Judge Duane G. Huffer approved a temporary restraining order that prohibits Brown from transferring any assets owned by her, whether real, personal or mixed, to any third parties. Brown also is restrained from disposing of any assets of any nature currently owned by her.
