Ex-Columbus realty employee gets prison time in $400K fraud case
A former Keller Williams Realty River Cities bookkeeper has been sentenced to two years and three months in prison after admitting to taking hundreds of thousands of dollars from the office in Columbus.
Lauren Williams Eldridge, 38, was sentenced Wednesday by District Judge Clay Land. In addition to prison time, she was ordered to pay $453,876 in restitution to KW.
Eldridge, who also was an office manager for the company in Columbus, pleaded guilty in April to wire fraud after transferring a total of $453,876 to her American Express credit card from KW’s operating and commissions accounts, court records show.
Eldridge used the money to pay for trips to Florida, get furniture, buy beauty products and more, court records say.
“For years, Eldridge used her company’s funds like her personal ATM,” FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown said in a news release. “She will now have more than two years behind bars to consider the impact of her actions.”
Eldridge transferred $375,100 from KW’s reserve account to KW’s operating account and commissions account to conceal her scheme, according to court records.
Eldridge worked for KW for nine years, according to the Department of Justice. In October 2022, KW representatives noticed discrepancies in a company account, and they noticed Eldridge had moved money around, the DOJ said in a news release.
“When Eldridge was initially questioned about the transfer, she did not provide a clear explanation,” the DOJ said in a news release. “Eldridge resigned from her position soon afterward.”
Law enforcement was notified of issues in January 2023, the DOJ said. A review of the company’s accounts showed that the money from KW had been used to pay Eldridge’s credit card account between January 2017 and September 2022.
Eldridge admitted to KW representatives in December 2022 that she embezzled the money, according to the DOJ. She planned to pay it back when she first started taking the money, she said. She started taking the money after she charged $30,000 to her credit card for home repairs.
The FBI investigated the case, the DOJ said.