CORPUS CHRISTI, TX—The former office manager for a local medical group has been sentenced to federal prison for tax evasion, United States Attorney José Angel Moreno announced today.

Senior United States District Judge John D. Rainey sentenced Gina Anzaldua Holley, of Corpus Christi, to 24 months in federal custody, followed by a three year term of supervised release for failing to pay taxes on approximately $1 million she embezzled from her employer. Holley was also ordered to pay $297,855 in back taxes owed to the United States.

Holley pleaded guilty to tax evasion in April 2010 admitting she failed to pay taxes on the money she embezzled from her employer between 2003 and 2006 while working as the office manager for a medical group. Holley’s failed to disclosed this income on her tax returns which resulted in $297,855 in unpaid taxes to the United States.

According to pleadings filed of record in the case, in September 2007 the medical group discovered Holley had been using a company ATM card to make unauthorized withdrawals. Further investigation revealed that in addition to the unauthorized withdrawals, Holley also embezzled money by issuing company checks to herself, writing company checks to pay her credit cards and other expenses and making unauthorized transfers to her checking account. As office manager, Holley had control of accounts payable and the payroll as well as being in charge of bank reconciliations. Holley altered business records to conceal the fraud by making various journal entries and coding the majority of the embezzled funds to medication expenses. She used the embezzled funds to purchase vehicles and a house, and to fund cosmetic surgery and frequent trips to Las Vegas, Nev., New York and Puerto Rico.

The medical group obtained a civil judgment against Holley of $1,132,273 in compensatory damages and $2.5 million in exemplary damages as a result of the embezzlement.

The court has permitted Holley to remain on bond pending the issuance of an order to surrender to a Bureau of Prisons facility to be designated in the near future.

The investigation leading to the charges against Holley was conducted by special agents of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations and the FBI. Assistant United States Attorney Robert D. Thorpe Jr. prosecuted the case.