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Amy D. Hall defrauded a company of cosmetic surgery and a trip to Aruba

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An employee of a construction company in Louisville treated herself to unauthorized bonuses: cosmetic surgery, a shopping spree, a plane ticket and a vacation at an exclusive beach resort in Aruba.

The purchases Amy D. Hall made for herself and her boyfriend amounted to over a quarter of a million dollars and were paid for at the company's expense – but without its approval.

The Shelbyville woman's plan caught the attention of U.S. intelligence and eventually landed her in federal prison.

Hall, 38, used her position as an accountant at a design and construction company to access the company's debit and American Express card, court records show. She also wrote herself checks on a related company's bank account without the authorization of either company. Her expenses, including purchases and insurance payments, totaled nearly $262,900. Court records do not list the companies, referring only to them as “Victim Company 1” and “Victim Company 2,” which are privately owned by a married couple.

The couple hired Hall in 2019 at a salary of $55,000 and has her signing authority and control over the company's Paducah Bank bank account and debit card, as well as a Bonvoy Business American Express credit card for business expenses, according to prosecutors' verdict.

When Hall used the money for himself, suppliers and subcontractors began to complain that they had not been paid.

Among Hall's unauthorized purchases, court records show, was a mooring fee at the Willow Grove Resort and Marina on Dale Hollow Lake in Allons, Tennessee.

She also treated herself to an American Airlines flight and a Marriott Bonvoy beach resort in Palm Beach, Aruba.

To cover up her misdeeds, Hall initially lied. She convinced the company owners that suppliers and subcontractors were late in submitting their invoices or that there had been a misunderstanding.

Eventually, the owners realized they had a liquidity crisis. They laid off some employees and paid company expenses from their personal bank accounts. Hall resigned in August 2021 after being confronted with this.

The owners began poring over financial records and discovered that Hall had begun illegally using her business accounts as early as December 2019, just three months after she was hired, prosecutors argued in their sentencing brief. In September 2021, a month after she resigned, Hall used the company debit card again.

Prosecutors argued that Hall stole for 21 months and then, when caught, went to work for another company and continued her crimes. In her sentencing memo, she said: “It is believed that she engaged in similar conduct while working as an accountant for another company.”

While she was not accused of defrauding another company, federal law allows prosecutors to include that allegation in her brief to argue for a longer prison sentence.

A federal grand jury in Louisville indicted Hall on seven counts of wire fraud in September 2023. Hall pleaded guilty to all counts in April 2024.

A judge sentenced Hall in July to three years and one month in a federal prison where parole is not possible.

After her release, she will be on probation for three years, and once she finds a job, her wages will likely be garnished to pay compensation to the victims.

Bill Butler, the defense attorney representing Hall, declined to comment on the case but said, “She seemed very nice and polite and always on time.”

“She regretted it and told the court at the final verdict that she regretted it.”

He argued for mitigation, saying Hall and her ex-husband shared custody of their two sons, ages 9 and 17, and that she suffered from depression, anxiety and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, according to the defense's sentencing memo. Butler said his client attended Eastern Kentucky University from 2003 to 2005 and has worked as an accountant or financial bookkeeper since then.

Prosecutors argued that Hall's fraud “was not a one-time mistake. She was involved in this fraud for approximately 21 months.”

“The owners relied heavily on the defendant to maintain the finances,” the government’s sentencing memo states.

“The defendant exploited this trust to line her own pockets.”

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