CFO Convicted of Embezzling $1M for Luxury

A federal jury in Chicago convicted former chief financial officer Tina Feuerstein of stealing more than $1 million from her employer. (justice.gov) Jurors found Feuerstein, 53, guilty on eight counts of wire fraud on April 9, 2026, after a four-day trial in U.S. District Court in Chicago. Judge LaShonda A. Hunt set sentencing for Aug. 26, 2026, and each count carries a maximum 20-year prison term. (justice.gov) Federal prosecutors said Feuerstein worked as the chief financial officer of a Pennsylvania company owned by a Chicago-area parent and used a company American Express card for personal spending over five years. The trial evidence said the purchases covered luxury furniture, designer apparel and routine household expenses. (justice.gov; cfodive.com) The government said she hid the scheme by falsifying entries in the company’s general ledgers, deleting items from the expense-reporting system and preparing false consolidated financial statements. Prosecutors told the jury those steps concealed more than 3,800 credit-card charges totaling about $1.09 million. (justice.gov; cfodive.com) Court records identified the subsidiary as York Wallcoverings, a Pennsylvania wallpaper maker, and its parent as York Design Group, a home-decor company formed after a 2021 merger with Brewster Home Fashions. Industrial Opportunity Partners, a private-equity firm based in the Chicago area, bought both businesses before that merger. (cfodive.com) One wire-fraud count centered on an $8,303 charge at Raymour & Flanigan on Dec. 11, 2022. Other charges cited in the indictment included $1,289.06 at Coach and purchases tied to Michael Kors and Harley-Davidson. (cfodive.com) Before trial, prosecutors told the court that Feuerstein admitted in a Feb. 27, 2026 meeting that she made the purchases on the company card. In that filing, the government said she argued the company condoned the practice and that other employees did the same thing. (pacermonitor.com) The Justice Department said trial evidence also showed Feuerstein had previously embezzled more than $250,000 while working in another company’s accounting department. The FBI’s Chicago field office investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jared Hasten and Anne Yonover prosecuted it. (justice.gov) The verdict leaves the case at sentencing, where the court will decide how much prison time and restitution Feuerstein faces. For now, the jury’s decision turned a five-year company-card spending spree into eight federal felony convictions. (justice.gov)