Canonsburg man pleads guilty to $6.8 million embezzlement scheme
A Canonsburg resident has pleaded guilty to stealing about $6.8 million from the company he worked for as an accountant.
Jonathan A. Weston, 58, pleaded guilty in federal court in Pittsburgh Tuesday to charges of fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy and tax fraud.
According to a press release issued by the Department of Justice Friday, Weston worked for the Greensburg-based Hillandale Farms Co. between October 2005 and January 2019.
During that period, Weston and his personal secretary and company bookkeeper, who has since died, engaged in a scheme to embezzle the money and launder it through their other businesses. The DOJ did not identify his accomplice.
Weston is the owner of Katie’s Kandy and also owns several car washes, according to the release. With the stolen money, he purchased several classic and luxury vehicles, as well as a condominium in downtown Pittsburgh.
Between 2013 and 2018, Weston either failed to file federal tax returns or filed false returns, according to the release. He owed about $1.2 million to the IRS.
Weston is scheduled to be sentenced at 10 a.m. Jan. 3. He faces up to 58 years in prison, a $2.5 million fine, or both.