Clarksville woman sentenced for defrauding Kentucky employer

Paducah, KY – A Clarksville, Tennessee woman was sentenced this week to two years in federal prison on five counts of wire fraud.

According to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky, 50-year-old Kathleen M. Michaelis faces two years in prison followed by two years of supervised release.

Court documents state that between May 2017 and May 2024, Michaelis was employed as a bookkeeper for a business in Christian County.

During this time, officials say she “embezzled over $238,000 from her employer utilizing a fraudulent check scheme.”

According to officials, Michaelis used stolen funds to pay personal expenses. In addition, officials say she concealed the scheme by “failing to forward employee paystub withholdings to the United States Treasury and the company’s retirement plan.”

Michaelis was ordered to pay $291,470 in restitution, officials say.

This case was investigated by the FBI Bowling Green Satellite Office.