Orcas Island woman pleads guilty to embezzling from former astronaut
An Orcas Island bookkeeper and businesswoman has pleaded guilty to federal wire fraud for embezzling more than $750,000 from a former NASA astronaut and his wife.
Sarah Elizabeth Coffelt pleaded guilty in a plea agreement Monday before U.S. District Judge Thomas Zilly, who set sentencing for July 13. Coffelt faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
According to a plea agreement, Coffelt has agreed to pay $755,000 in restitution.
The charges allege that Coffelt was hired by an Orcas Island couple as a bookkeeper for their family businesses, identified as the Heritage Flight Museum in Everett and Apogee Flight Inc., which owns a series of aircraft and hangars. The couple is identified only by their initials in federal court documents, W.A. and V.A.
However, a civil lawsuit filed last summer in San Juan County Superior Court against Coffelt and her husband, John, makes almost identical allegations as the federal criminal charges. Plaintiffs in that action are identified as retired Air Force Maj. Gen. William Anders and his wife, Valerie.
Read more: http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/crime/orcas-island-woman-pleads-guilty-to-embezzling-from-former-astronaut/
