BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Tuesday, Erie County District Attorney John Flynn announced three cases his office prosecuted that he considers “white collar crime”.
But, he wanted to make clear he plans to go after more individuals, especially those who aimed to take advantage of vulnerable populations during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The District Attorney’s Special Investigations and Prosecutions Unit prosecuted three women for crimes related to their jobs.
All three defendants appeared in court Tuesday morning before State Supreme Court Justice Christopher J. Burns, and all three pleaded guilty.
Tamara Ebo, 44, of Buffalo pleaded guilty to one count of Grand Larceny in the Third Degree (Class “D” felony), one count of Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree (Class “E” felony) and one count of Official Misconduct (Class “A” misdemeanor).
Ebo embezzled $42,574.16 from 14 clients while working for Erie County’s Department of Social Services Adult Protection between September 1, 2016 and June 30, 2019. She did it through manipulating invoices, falsifying vendor transactions, and directing payments to herself.
She will faces a maximum of seven years in prison when she is sentenced on Wednesday, April 28.
Nicole Wichlacz, 31, of Buffalo pleaded guilty to one count of Official Misconduct (Class “A” misdemeanor).
She worked as a typist for Erie County’s Department of Social Services Child Protective Services and leaked information she accessed on their systems to a friend on multiple occasions. That friend had an active case involving CPS.
Wichlacz faces a maximum of one year in jail when she is sentenced on Monday, April 26, 2021.
Wendi Jo Oliver, 40, of Barker pleaded guilty to one count of Attempted Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree (Class “A” misdemeanor).
She falsified timesheets while working as a nurse for an adult and unlawfully collected $11,700.00 in pay through the victim’s special needs trust fund.
Oliver was fired and paid all the money back. She faces a maximum of one year in jail when she is sentenced next month.
