LaSaundra Simmons, 52, of North Carolina, will spend 27 months in prison for embezzling more than half a million dollars from her former employer, Farwell Funeral Service. Courtesy photo

NASHUA – LaSaundra Simmons, 52, of North Carolina, was sentenced on Sept. 12 to 27 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release for embezzling more than half a million dollars from her former employer, Farwell Funeral Service.

Simmons, who pleaded guilty on May 20 to one count of wire fraud, was also ordered to pay Farwell $541,381 in restitution.

Simmons was employed as Farwell’s bookkeeper from 2015 to 2023, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Hampshire.

During the eight-year period, there were more than 100 instances when Simmons used electronic wire transfers or check deposits to siphon money from the funeral home to her personal bank account. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Simmons would justify the check transactions by labeling them as “commissions” or “consulting fees.” For one transaction, Simmons went so far as to label it as a “Christmas 2016 Bonus.”

“Ms. Simmons’s conduct was egregious, long-running and did great harm to a third-generation New Hampshire small business,” said U.S. Attorney Jane Young. “Today’s sentence is a measure of justice for the victim and a warning to other fraudsters that if you steal from your employer, you will be prosecuted and incarcerated.”

Jodi Cohen, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Boston Division, shared similar sentiments.

“LaSaundra Simmons betrayed the trust of the family-run funeral home where she worked and stole more than half a million dollars from them, using their money as her own,” she said. “The FBI will diligently investigate and bring to justice anyone who engages in such egregious financial fraud.”