A Texas woman who has admitted to embezzling $1.2million from her place of work was scheduled to be sentenced this week, but instead she took her own life just hours before she was due in court.
Paige Moody Bisher, of Spring, fatally shot herself in the chest outside the Humble, Texas, Walmart ahead of the court hearing. Her death was ruled a suicide.
In January, Bisher admitted to stealing the seven-figure sum from a small Houston company where she worked as an administrative assistant.
Fatal decision: Paige Moody Bisher, 43 (left and right) killed herself this week, just hours before she was set to be sentenced in a $1.2million embezzlement scheme
Bisher shot herself in the chest in this Walmart parking lot in Humble, Texas
Under Texas Penal Code, theft of more than $200,000 is a first-degree felony punishable by up to 99 years in prison.
Prosecutor Lester Blizzard told Houston Chronicle it was his intent to ask for a lengthy prison sentence for Bisher.
As part of her misappropriation scheme, the married woman had funneled company funds into her own account by writing checks to herself.
She was caught when her boss asked to take a look at the accounting books, which prompted Bisher to quit her job.
The employee’s abrupt resignation led to an internal audit, which uncovered her financial malfeasance, and eventually resulted in her criminal indictment.
Swindle: As part of her scheme, Bisher (pictured with husband Aaron) had funneled funds from her workplace into her own account by writing checks to herself.
Bryan Vaclavik, the chief fraud examiner at the Harris County District Attorney’s office who took part in the investigation, said that the ‘abuse of trust’ in this case was unprecedented in his 24 years with the agency.
In 2017, Bisher and her husband, Aaron, who were both competitive barbecue cooks, opened a restaurant in Magnolia specialising in smoked meat.
According to a Houston Chronicle story about The Feedlot BBQ restaurant, the Bishers invested most of their savings into the eatery, which opened its doors in August of that year, but has since shut down.
Friends and family took to Facebook on Thursday to express their condolences to Bisher’s husband and sister, talking about her smile and infectious laugh.