Embezzlement Phoebe Nicholson (Sentence: 36 Months, Restitution/Fines/Penalties/Settlements Paid: $1,307,861) Action Date: April 20, 2005 Location: Cortland, NY On April 20, 2005, Phoebe Nicholson, a former paralegal from Cortlandt Manor, New York, was sentenced to three to nine years in state prison for embezzlement. The judge also entered a judgment against her for $1,307,861. Nicholson stole nearly $600,000 from her former employer, Honeywell International, by submitting fake invoices from a Manhattan law firm, Fish & Neave. She opened a bank account in the name Fish Neave, pretended to be a lawyer, and deposited the payments into that account.  She also fraudulently obtained over $600,000 in mortgage loans by making false statements about her job and salary.