Ash Grove woman indicted for stealing from Springfield employer

An Ash Grove woman has been indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly embezzling more than $362,000 from her Springfield employer.

Carrie Long, 52, was charged in a 24-count indictment that was returned under seal by the jury in Springfield on Nov. 17, according to a news release from the office of Teresa Moore, acting U.S. attorney for the Western District of Missouri.

Long previously worked as an in-house accountant for Executive Coach Builders Inc. and Executive Bus Builders Inc., which build buses, coaches and limousines.

Hired in 2014, Long's alleged embezzlement scheme took place from February 2016 to September 2020. The indictment alleges Long used her position to regularly write checks against the companies' bank accounts for unauthorized payments to herself. Long allegedly did not report the unauthorized payments on her individual income tax returns.

Additionally, Long is accused of failing to pay more than $902,000 in employment taxes that were owed to the IRS by the companies, according to the release.

The indictment’s charges comprise wire fraud, failure to pay employment taxes, obstructing the administration of internal revenue laws and filing a false tax return.