Savannah School District contractor pleads guilty to three federal financial felonies
A Savannah resident and former full-time employee of the school district there faces sentencing after pleading guilty to federal charges involving financial misconduct.
Anthony S. Moon pleaded guilty to three federal counts, including theft from a program receiving federal funds, wire fraud and theft from an employee benefit plan, which were filed by the United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri in late January.
Moon began work as a full-time school district accountant in 2018 and continued until August 2020, when he went to work for St. Joseph tax preparer Parker & Associates, where he served as owner and president, according to a court document filed in the case.
Moon continued to work with the Savannah School District as a part-time contractor. He also had another business named A.S. Moon Accounting and Income Tax.
The United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri alleged that Moon would enter the school district’s office building after hours and take blank checks that were not intended to be used, according to a court document in the case.
From about January 2023 to November 2023, Moon prepared seven checks from the district’s checking account and made deposits to his bank accounts, resulting in a total loss of $63,000 from the fraudulent checks, according to court documents.
Moon also used the school district’s checking account to make $29,747 worth of payments to his and his wife’s credit cards for expenses such as Kansas City Chiefs tickets, food, gas and retail purchases, according to a court document filed in the case.
Moon used his access to the district’s bank accounts to embezzle about $92,747, according to a court document outlining the guilty plea.
A third allegation against him states Moon sponsored a Simple IRA Plan through Parker & Associates, which is subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act and caused about $21,000 to be withheld from the salaries of his employees between January 2022 to December 2023, according to the court document. Moon also was required to make an employer-matching contribution of more than $8,600 but did not deposit the funds, according to court documents.
The first count of theft from a program receiving federal funds carries a maximum of 10 years in jail, a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release and an order of restitution.
Count two of wire fraud carries a maximum of 20 years in jail, a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release and an order of restitution.
Count three of theft from an employee benefit plan carries a maximum of five years in jail with identical penalties to counts one and two.
Moon is awaiting a judge's decision on the penalties he'll face pending the results of a pre-sentencing investigation.
The Savannah School District declined to provide a statement on the case.
