South Charleston woman pleads guilty to embezzlement

A South Charleston woman who was charged with felony embezzlement and theft of union labor assets has pleaded guilty, according to United States Attorney Mike Stuart.

Joan Matthews, 70, worked as a bookkeeper for the Charleston Building and Constructions Trades Council from January 2003 to September 2014. According to the U.S. District Court, she stole over $183,000 from her employer from January 2010 until Sept. 18, 2014, when union employees uncovered her thefts.

Matthews would prepare and cash unauthorized union checks, use union funds to pay off her personal credit card bills and make changes to her employer’s credit cards, according to court records.

She is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 11, 2018, facing up to five years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine and three years supervised release, according to the court.

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