Carolyn Gudmundson, was responsible for managing and registering Microsoft’s domain names between 2000 and 2004. She has been accused of stealing over $1 million from Microsoft and Expedia, according to court papers and a statement released yesterday by the U.S. Attorney in Seattle.
The 18-count indictment (PDF, 10 pages) alleges that Gudmundson used a variety of tactics to inflate her expense reimbursements. For example, prosecutors allege that she used her corporate American Express card to pay for domain registrations and then submitted doctored receipts to receive more than she paid.
Gudmundson is a 44 year old woman from Kirkland, Seattle. She was arrested Thursday night and made her initial appearance in court yesterday, as reported by Todd Bishop who attended the court appearance. She has been indicted on 11 counts of wire fraud and seven counts of mail fraud. The U.S. Attorney’s Office says those offenses, on conviction, are punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Microsoft released this statement: “We can confirm that Microsoft worked closely with authorities on this investigation. We take employee theft seriously and have internal measures in place to help identify fraudulent activities.”
For more information on the case against Gudmundson read the this report on Todd Bishop’s Microsoft Blog.
