Former office manager sentenced to prison for fraud, ordered to repay $1.1M to former employer

Posted on December 13, 2017
Tina Cozart pleaded guily in June to the charges in U.S. District Court in Peoria. (Google Maps photo)

By Greg Halbleib

PEORIA – A former office manager of a Bloomington landscaping firm has been sentenced to prison and ordered to pay restitution of more than $1 million to the company.

U.S. District Judge Michael Mihm sentenced Tina Cozart, 55, formerly of Carlock, to three and a half years in federal prison on Tuesday. Cozart must pay more than $1.1 million to her former employer, F & W Lawn Care and Landscaping, as well as more than $346,000 to the Internal Revenue Service and $25,000 to an insurance company.

Cozart pleaded guilty in June to wire fraud and filing a false income tax return. U.S. Central District of Illinois Attorney John Childress said Cozart charged more than she earned for the year on the business’s credit cards and bank accounts at least 13 times. Some of the money was spent on trips to Cancun, Las Vegas, Florida and Phoenix, and on tickets to sporting events.

Cozart now lives in Fremont, California. She was ordered to report to federal prison on February 20th.

Greg Halbleib can be reached at [email protected]. 

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