Cargill accounting manager stole 3.1M from agriculture giant

ALBANY — In one of the area's largest-ever cases of employee theft, an accounting manager for Cargill at the Port of Albany admitted Monday she stole more than $3.1 million from the global agriculture giant over 10 years.

Diane L. Backis, 50, of Athens, caused losses of at least $25 million to Cargill, the largest privately held corporation in the United States, according to federal prosecutors in Albany.

Backis pleaded guilty to charges of mail fraud and filing a false tax return, which under federal sentencing guidelines could send her to prison for more than 11 years. She agreed to pay Cargill $3.5 million in restitution, forfeit her home in Greene County, give up an investment brokerage account and her Cargill pension.

She will be sentenced March 28 by U.S. District Court Judge Mae D'Agostino, who accepted Backis' guilty plea. Backis waived an appeal of any sentence of nine years or less.

Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Cargill-executive-admits-she-stole-3-1M-from-10639904.php