Minnesota CPA Stole More Than $340,000 From Her Clients, Feds Say

By Paul Walsh, Star Tribune (TNS)

An Edina, MN-based certified public accountant tapped into her clients’ bank accounts and stole more than $340,000, according to federal charges.

Jeana Ann Lautigar, 57, was charged Monday in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis with making monetary transactions connected to a crime and failing to file taxes in connection with the thefts that spanned from 2016 until 2020.

Lautigar was charged by summons. She is due in court on May 30 and intends to plead guilty at some point to stealing, her attorney said Tuesday.

“She’s very anxious to get on with her life” and hopes to avoid being sent to prison when sentenced, defense attorney Craig Cascarano told the Star Tribune.

The charges allege that Lautigar embezzled $344,813 from her clients’ bank accounts while providing accounting and payroll services under Edina Business Solutions and Jeana Lautigar CPA Inc. Prosecutors also say she underreported her earnings, leading to a loss of nearly $85,000 in tax collections.

Cascarano said prosecutors had claimed Lautigar stole an amount “that was way higher” than noted in the charging document. However, negotiations between the defense and the U.S. Attorney’s Office lowered the total, he said.

The attorney added that his client paid back money to some of the clients she stole from.

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