Former Comcast Employee Accused of Bilking Retirement Accounts

Federal prosecutors in Philadelphia say Laura Wayne, previously employed as an administrator of employee retirement accounts at Comcast Corporation, committed wire fraud and other crimes against the cable and internet company, resulting in the theft of approximately $124,876.

According to U.S. Attorney Zane David Memeger, Wayne created dummy retirement accounts that appeared to be 401(k) accounts managed by Fidelity Company for the benefit of Comcast employees. Court documents show Wayne is also accused of using the names of non-employees, along with their actual birth dates and social security numbers, to create fraudulent employee 401(k) accounts; entering dollar amounts in the dummy accounts on the spreadsheets she sent to Fidelity, so that Comcast would put money into the dummy employee accounts; and creating fake online Fidelity accounts so that she could access the dummy employee accounts.

It is further alleged that between April 2013 and January 2014, Wayne used the fake online accounts that she had created to direct that Fidelity transfer funds from the dummy accounts to bank accounts that she controlled.

If convicted, Wayne faces a maximum possible sentence of 140 years of in prison, three years of supervised release, restitution, a $1.75 million fine, and a $700 special assessment.