Bookkeeper gets prison in $840K fraud

TAMPA — Tampa bookkeeper Paul Wheeler was sentenced to four years in federal prison for wire fraud, according to a statement from acting U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow.

U.S. District Judge Mary Scriven sentenced Wheeler, 34. The court also ordered him to forfeit $848,136.04 and pay restitution to victims.

Wheeler embezzled from six different employers over 15 years, according to testimony and court documents. He diverted more than $840,000 from his employers to bank accounts under his control. Wheeler used most of the money for online gambling, the statement says. The companies Wheeler victimized weren't identified in the release.

The FBI and Tampa Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Palermo prosecuted the case.