Tacoma man sentenced for embezzling $2 million in a case of ‘fraud motivated by greed’
Mar 13, 2025, 5:00 AM
A Pierce County woman is headed to jail after being tied to a drug operation. (Photo: Western District of Washington)
(Photo: Western District of Washington)
A 42-year-old Tacoma man was sentenced to almost 12 years in prison Wednesday after embezzling over $2 million from his employer. John Whisenant was convicted of wire fraud and fleeing before his sentencing.
called the scheme 鈥渁 sophisticated fraud motivated by greed.鈥� Whisenant made extravagant purchases, including luxury cars and $23,000 airline tickets, but Miller called this latest case the biggest.
Whisenant was arrested in July 2023 and pleaded guilty in March 2024. Just before his July 2024 sentencing date, he emailed his pretrial services officer, stating, 鈥淚鈥檓 not ready to go to jail yet.鈥� The FBI arrested him on August 14, 2024.
At the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge Lauren King described Whisenant鈥檚 life as 鈥渁 revolving door of crime and prison time鈥� and said that his actions destroyed his “credibility before this court.鈥�
Miller said that over 20 years, Whisenant committed 19 fraud offenses.
More from MyNorthwest: King County audit concludes sheriff鈥檚 office should be more transparent
Miller was accused of embezzling the $2 million through wire transfers
Whisenant began working at an online used car sales company in 2018 and was promoted to a role with access to the company鈥檚 bank accounts and accounting software. Prosecutors said Whisenant made 57 wire transfers between 2019 and 2021, totaling over $2 million into accounts he controlled. He disguised them as legitimate business expenses.
The fraud was discovered in January 2022 during a financial review by a bookkeeper. Whisenant resigned abruptly in February 2022. When confronted by the FBI, he attempted to blame the embezzlement on the company CEO. Prosecutors said the crime had a severe impact on the company.
Before fleeing, prosecutors recommended a seven-year prison sentence. Wednesday, they recommended 10 and a half years to account for Whisenant鈥檚 disregard for the law and the court. While on the run, Whisenant swapped SIM cards to avoid tracking and trafficked methamphetamine and other drugs to support himself.
This is Whisenant鈥檚 second federal fraud conviction. He was sentenced for wire fraud in 2017 and has a history of various credit card and check fraud crimes. Whisenant has agreed to make full restitution of $2,084,779.
More from MyNorthwest: Arraignment for WSP trooper accused of DUI, vehicular homicide canceled after no charges filed
Follow Bill Kaczaraba Send news tips here.
