CFO Convicted of Embezzling $1M for Luxury
- A Chicago jury found a CFO guilty of stealing $1 million from her employer to fund extravagant purchases. - Funds went toward designer clothes, luxury furniture, and other high-end items. - Verdict highlights risks of internal fraud in local businesses patch.com
A federal jury in Chicago convicted former chief financial officer Tina Feuerstein of stealing more than $1 million from her employer’s subsidiary. (justice.gov) The verdict came on April 9, 2026, after a four-day trial in U.S. District Court in Chicago. Feuerstein, 53, lives in Hanover, Pennsylvania, and was found guilty on eight counts of wire fraud. (justice.gov) Federal prosecutors said Feuerstein spent five years using a company credit card for personal purchases, including luxury furniture, designer apparel, groceries, utility bills and travel. The indictment described about 3,800 charges totaling roughly $1.09 million. (justice.gov) (cfodive.com) Prosecutors said she hid the spending by falsifying entries in the company’s general ledger, deleting items from its expense-reporting system and preparing consolidated financial statements that understated total expenses. The employer relied on those statements in making business decisions, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. (justice.gov) The case centered on a Pennsylvania operating company owned by a Chicago-area parent. Trade publication CFO Dive identified the subsidiary as York Wallcoverings and said the parent was York Design Group, which was formed in 2021 after a merger involving Brewster Home Fashions under Industrial Opportunity Partners. (cfodive.com) One wire-fraud count cited an $8,303 charge at Raymour & Flanigan on Dec. 11, 2022. Other charges in the indictment included $1,289.06 at Coach and purchases tied to Michael Kors and Harley-Davidson, according to CFO Dive’s account of the court filing. (cfodive.com) The Justice Department said trial evidence also showed Feuerstein had previously embezzled more than $250,000 while working in the accounting department of another company. The release did not say she had been convicted in that earlier matter. (justice.gov) Each wire-fraud count carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison under federal law. U.S. District Judge LaShonda A. Hunt set sentencing for Aug. 26, 2026. (justice.gov)
