PINSON WOMAN CHARGED WITH MAIL FRAUD AND TAX EVASION

BIRMINGHAM, AL - An Information has filed in U.S. District Court today charging TERRI LEIGH GILMER, 46, of Pinson, with committing mail fraud as part of a scheme to defraud CVS Procare, and with four counts of tax evasion based on her failure to pay taxes on her ill-gotten gains.

"Gilmer’s scheme was eventually discovered," said Alice H. Martin, United States Attorney. "Her failure to pay taxes on illegal income led to the tax evasion charges."

According to the Information, GILMER was employed as a pharmacist at a CVS Procare location on Beacon Parkway West in Birmingham. From July 2002 until May 2006, she engaged in a scheme to defraud CVS Procare by dispensing pharmaceuticals to self-payor customers and then directing the customers to send payment to the Beacon Parkway West location. GILMER acted without authorization in opening a bank account under the name of CVS Procare at a local bank, and then deposited the checks she received from customers into that account. GILMER concealed this activity from CVS Procare by circumventing the company’s established process for dispensing pharmaceuticals and by falsifying internal records which tracked those pharmaceuticals and payments.

GILMER was charged with tax evasion for the calendar years 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005 for under reporting $398,024.98. The Information seeks forfeiture of $398,024.98, which figure represents the proceeds of the fraudulent scheme.

The penalty for Mail Fraud is imprisonment for not more than 20 years, or a fine of not more than $250,000, or both. The penalty for Tax Evasion is imprisonment for not more than 5 years, or a fine of not more than $100,000, or both.

"The message is clear. Embezzle funds in corporate America and the FBI will be there to make sure you are held accountable and brought to justice," stated Carmen S. Adams, Special Agent in Charge Federal Bureau of Investigation Birmingham Field Division. "Corporate fraud represents a significant threat to America's well-being. The FBI will continue to tackle the threat head on."

Special Agents from the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation Division, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and United States Postal Inspection Service investigated this matter. Assistant United States Attorney William C. Athanas is prosecuting this matter on behalf of the U.S. Government.

Members of the public are reminded that an Information contains only charges. When an information is filed the Defendant waives their right to a grand jury review of the evidence. However, a defendant is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove a defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.