‘Gave herself a bonus’: Woman who stole over $900K from Florida business sentenced to prison

JUPITER Florida WPBF A Jupiter woman who was accused of fraud was sentenced in a Palm Beach County court According to court documents Michele A Nichols pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges of organized scheme to defraud and money laundering Nichols was sentenced to six years in state prison She was credited with days in jail The Jupiter Police Department disclosed its study determined that Nichols who was an accountant defrauded a local business out of more than Court records indicate that the business that was victimized was Fitzhugh Holdings in Jupiter According to the Jupiter Police Department Nichols was trusted with managing payroll and financial operations Nichols who had been with the company since was accused of giving herself a bonus by diverting funds into her personal bank account over a two-year period This is not the first time Nichols has been prosecuted for fraud The Jupiter Police Department noted Nichols was arrested in for a previous fraud scheme In that incident she was sentenced to years of probation