Nevada man sentenced to four years for embezzling $1.5 million for gambling, travel

(From the U. S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri)

A Nevada, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court yesterday for a fraud scheme and filing false income tax returns.

Justin Marquardt, 55, was sentenced by United States District Judge Greg Kays, to 48 months in federal prison, followed by a three-year term of supervised release, for a fraud scheme in which he embezzled approximately $1.5 million from his employer and for failing to disclose the embezzled funds as income on his federal income tax returns. Marquardt was also ordered to pay full restitution to the victims of his crimes. This successful prosecution is one of many federal fraud cases pursued under the leadership of President Donald Trump and through the establishment of the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud.

Marquardt previously admitted that he stole approximately $1.5 million from his employer’s bank accounts and used those funds for his personal benefit. Marquardt held the title of executive director at his employer’s company and by virtue of his position, had access to all company finances and financial accounts from 1994 to 2023. 

As part of his scheme, Marquardt, without authorization, transferred funds from his employer’s bank accounts to his personal accounts and wrote himself unauthorized checks from business bank accounts. Marquardt spent most of the money on personal expenses, including travel and gambling both online and at casinos. 

To hide his embezzlement, Marquardt omitted these unauthorized transactions from the business’s QuickBooks ledger he provided to an accountant and tax preparer. Marquardt recorded false and fraudulent payments as business expenses in the QuickBooks records to conceal his embezzlement. Marquardt embezzled at least $1,387,926.39 and has been ordered to pay this amount as restitution to his former employer.

For tax years 2017 – 2020 and 2023, Marquardt filed United States federal income tax returns on Forms 1040 in which he willfully failed to report his embezzled income. As a result of his false tax returns, he has been ordered to pay restitution of $322,596 to the Internal Revenue Service and Missouri Department of Revenue.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Venneman. It was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation.