Show-Me State Times

A man from Nevada, Missouri, has pleaded guilty in federal court to embezzling about $1.5 million from his employer and failing to report the stolen funds on his federal tax returns.

Justin R. Marquardt, 55, entered his plea before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to one count of wire fraud and one count of filing a false tax return.

According to court documents, Marquardt admitted that he stole approximately $1.5 million from his employer’s bank accounts while serving as executive director at the company. He had access to all company finances and financial accounts from 1994 to 2023. Prosecutors said Marquardt transferred funds without authorization from the business accounts to his personal accounts and wrote himself unauthorized checks. The stolen money was spent mostly on personal expenses, including travel and gambling both online and at casinos.

To conceal the thefts, Marquardt omitted these unauthorized transactions from the business’s QuickBooks ledger that he provided to an accountant and tax preparer. He also recorded false payments as business expenses in the records to hide his actions.

Marquardt further admitted that for tax years 2017 through 2020 and in 2023, he filed federal income tax returns on Forms 1040 in which he willfully failed to report the embezzled income.

Under federal law, Marquardt faces up to 20 years in prison without parole for wire fraud and up to three years for filing a false tax return. The final sentence will be determined by the court after a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Venneman following an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations.

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