Nampa office manager convicted of forgery and tax evasion

BOISE, Idaho — Oct. 23, 2024 — A former office manager for a retailer in Nampa is on probation after pleading guilty to state income tax evasion and forgery for embezzling funds from her employer.

The Canyon County District Court sentenced Charlene Smith, of Idaho City, to 19 years of supervised probation and ordered her to pay more than $170,000 in restitution to her employer. If Smith fails to comply with the probation conditions, she could face prison time.

As an office manager and bookkeeper for her former employer, Smith used business funds to make purchases for her personal use. Between 2021 and 2022, her fraudulent purchases included Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Facebook Pay transactions. She also wrote unauthorized checks to herself and made unauthorized direct deposits to her personal Cash App account.

According to the Idaho State Tax Commission, Smith willfully evaded taxes on her 2021 Idaho individual income tax return by failing to report embezzled funds.

“Deliberately providing false information on a tax return is fraud,” said Tax Commission Chairman Jeff McCray. “Taxpayers must accurately report income from all sources on their tax returns.”

The Tax Commission discovers tax crime by routinely analyzing tax returns and conducting tax audits, as well as through tips from law enforcement, other state agencies, and the public.

To report tax crime, email the Tax Commission’s fraud unit at fraud@tax.idaho.gov or complete the online fraud referral form at tax.idaho.gov/fraud. You can choose to remain anonymous.