Office manager spent money embezzled from Alabama doctor on horse saddles, feds say
A 64-year-old grandmother in Alabama will spend time in prison after prosecutors said she embezzled more than half a million dollars from the medical practices where she worked over the course of a decade.
Betty Fables Harrison was the longtime business manager and administrator at two practices in Mobile, Alabama, prosecutors said. She’s accused of upping her pay and doling out bonuses to herself without the doctor’s knowledge. On Tuesday, a federal judge sentenced her to two years and three months in federal prison.
Harrison was also ordered to pay $549,000 in restitution to Dr. George Sutton, who owns the practices.
“During the sentencing hearing, Chief Judge (Jeffery) Beaverstock noted that Harrison’s crimes went on for years and were a serious breach of trust,” prosecutors in the Southern District of Alabama said in a news release announcing the sentencing.
Jason Darley, a defense attorney representing Harrison, said his client is remorseful about what happened but also shocked by the judge’s decision to send her to prison. The sentence is at the low end of the recommended guidelines, he said.
“We had hoped obviously for a probationary sentence based on Mrs. Harrison’s health and family characteristics and all that,” Darley told McClatchy News.
According to court documents, Harrison lives in Chunchula, Alabama, an unincorporated community with about 200 residents 20 miles outside Mobile.
Prosecutors said the alleged embezzlement dates to 2006, when Harrison was working for Bay Area Community Medicine and Independent Practice Management — two related medical practices owned by Sutton in Mobile.
Harrison oversaw payroll and had access to the practices’ bank accounts in her role as officer manager. Using debit cards belonging to the practice, she’s accused of paying for dozens of personal expenses with company funds — including horse saddles, horse vet bills, musical instruments, furniture and vacations.
Prosecutors said the embezzlement continued for 11 years until Harrison was fired in October 2017.
During the same time period, she’s also accused of increasing her salary and paying herself bonuses and consulting fees, which caused “substantial financial loss to both medical practices,” prosecutors said.
Harrison waived her right to an indictment and took a plea deal with prosecutors in April, court filings show. As part of the agreement, she pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud, which carried a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Her sentencing hearing was postponed twice — once for a scheduling conflict in August and again in September after the assisting U.S. attorney prosecuting the case tested positive for COVID-19.
In sentencing documents, Harrison’s attorney requested a lesser punishment, saying his client and her husband of 47 years have two children and are the legal guardians of their three grandchildren. Darley said she’s “not in the best health” and is taking 10 different drugs while caring for her husband, who has a “serious health matter.”
Her attorney also said Harrison has no criminal history and pleaded guilty to the charges almost immediately.
“Not only has Betty Harrison expressed genuine and deep remorse, and better accountability for her actions, she’s regretful for the impact this has caused the Suttons, and her family,” he said in sentencing documents. “She understands she will pay restitution — likely for the reminder of her life.”
This story was originally published October 15, 2021 at 1:00 PM.
