Modesto woman given 51 months in prison for embezzlement

FRESNO — A Modesto woman was sentenced Monday to more than four years in prison after pleading guilty to 15 counts of mail fraud resulting in a loss of over $1.6 million to her former employer, a grading and paving company based in Modesto.

Lisa Shae Allen - Mugshot Stanislaus County Sheriff

Between January 2002 and March 2007, federal prosecutors say Lisa Shae Allen, 38, a former controller for Modesto company G. Hedgecock Inc., engaged in a fraudulent scheme to secretly bilk her employer. Using elaborate bookkeeping methods, Allen was able to avoid audit detections for a prolonged period of time as she embezzled more than $1.6 million from the company.

In sentencing Allen, Chief U.S. District Judge Anthony W. Ishii commented on the unusually large amount of embezzled funds and how Allen used those funds to finance a lavish personal lifestyle. Allen was sentenced to 51 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release.

This case was the product of an extensive investigation by the FBI and U.S. Postal Inspection Service, with assistance from the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office.