A former HBO employee agreed Wednesday to plead guilty to federal charges stemming from a scheme in which she stole nearly $1 million from the company.
Los Angeles resident Jennifer Choi, 38, worked at the cable giant for almost 10 years as a scheduler who handled the hairstyling, wardrobe and make-up services for the company’s actors. She was fired in September 2014.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Choi established a phony company called Shine Glossy, LLP, through which she submitted fraudulent invoices for styling services given to actors. However, court documents say, the services were not rendered and Choi pocketed the money that HBO paid. In all, Choi’s approximately 300 bogus invoices netted her about $940,000.
In addition, Choi admitted in her plea agreement that she pocketed another $63,000 for car-service rides that she, her family and her friends took and then submitted to HBO for reimbursement.
Choi additionally admitted that, from 2010 to 2014, she either did not file federal income tax returns or filed returns that under-reported her income when she had, in fact, earned hundreds of thousands of dollars.
She will appear in court on February 19. The three charges carry a maximum penalty of 45 years, but the parties in the case believe that her actual sentence will be much lower.
Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.