A Texas woman who was in charge of the finances of two Colorado-based companies was indicted in early May on suspicion of stealing millions of dollars from those companies and using the money to purchase luxury items.
A federal grand jury indicted 41-year-old Emily Katherine Merrill of Cypress, Texas, on 10 counts of wire fraud and three counts of money laundering, according to the indictment.
From July 2021 until November 2024, Merrill worked remotely as an accounting manager and controller for a company based in Lafayette and stole a total of $2.7 million, the indictment alleges.
Merrill transferred money from the company’s bank accounts to personal and relatives’ accounts, then altered information within the bank software so that it appeared the money had gone to the company’s vendors, according to the indictment.
In one instance, the company’s chief operating officer asked Merrill to make a loan payment of $300,000 to a financial institution, and Merrill deposited that amount into her own personal account, the indictment alleges.
Merrill also used the company’s credit card to pay for personal expenses totaling $477,000 and forged the company’s chief operating officer’s signature on a document to obtain a $280,000 loan, according to the indictment. Merrill falsely told other employees that only one person could be an administrator on the credit card account to conceal her fraudulent payments from others.
Merrill later worked from April 2025 through December 2025 as a financial controller for a Denver-based company, where she stole $300,000 using similar methods, according to the indictment.
The indictment alleges Merrill used the stolen money to pay off credit cards and her mortgage and purchase flights, hotels, a luxury watch and multiple vehicles — including a BMW, a Ford F150 and a motor home.
The FBI Denver field office is investigating the case.
