United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Rapid City, South Dakota, woman convicted of Wire Fraud, Money Laundering, and Tax Evasion was sentenced by Chief Judge Jeffrey L. Viken, U.S. District Court.

Olivia Kuehner, age 49, was sentenced on June 19, 2019, to 41 months in federal prison, followed by 1 year of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $300 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.  In addition, she was ordered to pay $160,380.16 in restitution to the Rapid City Club for Boys, $20,481.71 in restitution to Collins Siding, and $54,298.00 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service.

The conviction stems from Kuehner, while employed as the accounting manager for the Rapid City Club for Boys, Inc. (“Club for Boys”), devising a scheme to defraud the organization between September 2012 and June 2017.  Kuehner embezzled money belonging to the Club for Boys by making fraudulent payments to herself, family members, and a nominee entity she controlled, and then omitted the fraudulent payments from the Club for Boys’ accounting records, or misclassified the payments to make it appear vendors or other employees had been paid.  After receiving the fraudulently obtained funds, Kuehner transferred a portion of the funds to other bank accounts she controlled in order to conceal the nature, source, and ownership of the embezzled proceeds. 

Kuehner also prepared and filed a False Form W-2 with the IRS that understated her income and overstated her federal income tax withholding.  Kuehner then prepared and filed a False Form 1040A which matched the False Form W-2.

In addition to her embezzlement at the Club For Boys, Kuehner also stole more than $20,000 from Collins Siding, where she was employed after she left the Club for Boys.

The investigation was conducted by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Rapid City Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case.

Kuehner was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

United States Attorney Ronald A. Parsons, Jr. announced that a Rapid City, South Dakota, woman was charged in federal district court with 20 counts of Wire Fraud and 5 counts of Money Laundering.

Olivia Kuehner, age 48, was charged on January 23, 2018. She appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daneta Wollmann on January 26, 2018, and pleaded not guilty to the charges. The maximum penalty on each count upon conviction is 20 years of imprisonment and/or a $250,000 fine, 3 years of supervised release, and a $100 assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.

The indictment alleges that Kuehner, between September 2012 and June 2017, while employed as the accounting manager for the Rapid City Club for Boys, Inc. ("Club for Boys"), devised a scheme to defraud the Club for Boys of more than $120,000.00. The indictment alleges Kuehner embezzled money belonging to the Club for Boys by making fraudulent payments to herself, family members, and a nominee entity she controlled, and then omitted the fraudulent payments from the Club for Boys’ accounting records or misclassified the payments to make it appear vendors or other employees had been paid. After receiving the fraudulently obtained funds, Kuehner transferred a portion of the funds to other bank accounts she controlled in order to conceal the nature, source and ownership of the embezzled proceeds.

The charges are merely an accusation and Kuehner is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

The investigation is being conducted by the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Rapid City Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Benjamin Patterson is prosecuting the case.

Kuehner was detained pending a hearing on Monday, January 29, 2017. A trial date has not been set.