Tamara Ricceri-Wolf, 60, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced on July 8, 2026, to 18 months in federal prison for wire fraud, having stolen more than $538,000 from an Omaha company where she worked as Financial Manager. United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher ordered her to pay $635,935.05 in restitution and serve three years of supervised release after her prison term ends.
An FBI investigation revealed that between 2018 and December 2022, Ricceri-Wolf exploited her access to the company’s financial information and bank accounts. Beginning in 2019 and continuing through 2022, she opened American Express credit cards in both the company’s name and the owner’s name without authorization or knowledge. Using her position as Financial Manager, Ricceri-Wolf made personal purchases on the unauthorized cards and then concealed the fraud by using company bank accounts to pay the American Express balances.
In approximately three years, Ricceri-Wolf made roughly 106 unauthorized payments to American Express totaling at least $538,428.26. The full restitution amount of $635,935.05 exceeds the charged fraud amount, accounting for additional losses from the scheme.
The case demonstrates how employee access to financial systems and account information can be weaponized to defraud an employer. Ricceri-Wolf’s dual advantage—both opening cards in unauthorized names and having the ability to make payments from company accounts—allowed the fraud to persist for years before detection.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation. U.S. Attorney Lesley A. Woods announced the sentencing on July 17, 2026.
Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ne/pr/omaha-woman-sentenced-18-months-wire-fraud
