A finance boss enjoyed the life of luxury after stealing more than £1.3million from her employers – but is now living in a caravan with her parents.
Jacqueline McPhie pocketed the huge sum while working as vice-president for finance at oil firm Altus Intervention in Portlethen.
The 46-year-old splashed out on a new kitchen for her home in Great Western Road, Aberdeen, as well as a “bespoke” summer house, a new driveway, an £80,000 Range Rover, designer clothes and luxury holidays.
Yesterday, McPhie – who earned £146,848 a year – admitted embezzling the cash between March 2013 and April 2014.
The crook – who has a previous embezzling conviction – devised a complicated scam to divert funds from the firm, using her now estranged husband’s firm.
Advocate depute Alison Di Rollo told the High Court in Edinburgh that in 2000, McPhie admitted embezzling £250,000 while working as a finance manager with Iventec in Inchinnan.
Paisley Sheriff Court ordered her to carry out 300 hours of unpaid work.
However, when she later started working for Altus in the north-east, she had full “oversight” of the company’s finances and the trust of her bosses.
Ms Di Rollo told the court: “She had autonomy over approval of invoices received for payment with full access to company bank accounts.
“She enjoyed a high degree of responsibility within the company and was in a position of considerable trust.”
But the court heard that McPhie then began using her husband’s company, Craigie Knowe Ltd, to defraud her employer.
Her husband, Roderick McPhie, is the sole director of the contractor’s firm, but McPhie had “full access” to the bank accounts and was a signatory to them. He had no idea about her crimes, and the court heard the couple are currently embroiled in a bitter divorce battle – with McPhie now living in a caravan in Arbroath with her parents.
Ms Di Rollo said: “In the spring of 2013, not long after she had started to work for Altus, one of the finance managers noticed high value payments being made into the Craigie Knowe account.
“She questioned the accused about them.
“The accused told her the payments related to the creation of a branch of Altus in Cyprus and the sums involved were high because of the involvement of solicitors in Dubai.
“Being relatively new to the business, but knowing that the company was expanding to branches outwith the UK, she accepted the explanation without further question.”
But on May 19, 2014, police were tipped off after McPhie bought two properties on Allan Street, Aberdeen and Cameron Street, Stonehaven in cash without “the legitimate means to do so”, and that there had been a number of suspicious transactions through her personal bank account.
Ms Di Rollo added: “Intelligence was also received that two large payments had been made from Altus Intervention to Craigie Knowe Ltd. Subsequent investigation with Altus revealed that not only were these bona fide payments but between March 1, 2013 and April 29, 2014, the accused had approved seven invoices for payment to Craigie Knowe Ltd which in turn had generated eight transactions, transferring a total of £1,376,935.20 to that company.
“Staff confirmed that Altus Intervention had not contracted with, or otherwise engaged in any legitimate business with Craigie Knowe and that all of these payments were fraudulent.”
A major investigation was launched, which also uncovered that McPhie had faked invoices and faked e-mails from senior Altus Intervention staff authorising payments.
When she was detained, she admitted her crimes to the police on the way to Queen Street Police Station and insisted it had nothing to do with her husband.
The court also heard that Altus has managed to recover £238,701.90 from McPhie.
Warning her that she could be sent to jail, and face a proceeds of a crime order, judge Lady Wise told McPhie: “You have pleaded guilty to extremely serious offences.”
Sentence was deferred for reports until May 31.
