Former PES Employee Indicted

AN INVESTIGATION BY THE TENNESSEE COMPTROLLER’S OFFICE HAS RESULTED IN THE INDICTMENT OF JENNA COLEMAN, A FORMER CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE PULASKI ELECTRIC SYSTEM (PES). ACCORDING TO A PRESS RELEASE,

INVESTIGATORS DETERMINED THAT COLEMAN MISAPPROPRIATED $37,845.97 FROM MARCH 2019 UNTIL HER EMPLOYMENT WAS TERMINATED IN FEBRUARY 2020. COLEMAN COLLECTED CASH PAYMENTS FROM CUSTOMERS,

ENTERED THE PAYMENTS INTO THE ACCOUNTING SYSTEM, AND THEN REVERSED THOSE SAME PAYMENTS, WHICH ALLOWED HER TO TAKE THE CASH FOR HER PERSONAL USE.

COLEMAN USED A LAPPING SCHEME TO REPLACE THE MONEY IN CUSTOMERS’ ACCOUNTS WITH COLLECTIONS SHE RECEIVED ON SUBSEQUENT DAYS. DURING THE COURSE OF HER MISAPPROPRIATION, SHE MADE UNAUTHORIZED ADJUSTMENTS TO 188 CUSTOMER ACCOUNTS TO CONCEAL HER REMOVAL OF CUSTOMERS’ PAYMENTS.

COLEMAN’S SCHEME WAS DISCOVERED BY ANOTHER CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE IN FEBRUARY 2020. AT THAT TIME, THERE WERE TEN CUSTOMER ACCOUNTS THAT HAD NOT BEEN REPAID TOTALING $1,715.21.

PES DEDUCTED THIS AMOUNT FORM COLEMAN’S FINAL PAYCHECK AND REPORTED THE MISAPPROPRIATION TO THE COMPTROLLER’S OFFICE. BASED UPON THIS INVESTIGATION, IN JULY, THE PULASKI COUNTY GRAND JURY INDICTED JENNA COLEMAN ON ONE COUNT OF THEFT OVER $10,000, ONE COUNT OF COMPUTER CRIMES OVER $10,000, AND ONE COUNT OF FALSE ENTRIES IN GOVERNMENTAL RECORDS.