Manager of ‘haunted’ bed-and-breakfast swindled $500K, feds say. She’s off to prison
A woman who managed a bed-and-breakfast in Georgia was sentenced to 51 months in prison after she pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $500,000 from her employer, federal authorities said.
Chiquita Blake, 47, worked as a manager for the B&B in Savannah’s historic district from 2005 to 2020, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Georgia.
The Foley House Inn is considered a haunted B&B after human remains were found in the walls of the inn during the 1980s, the inn’s website said.
Federal authorities said Blake swindled money from the family-owned business from 2015 to 2020.
The inn’s owner spotted discrepancies in the financial reports and an investigation discovered that Blake had swindled more than $500,000 from the inn, according to her plea agreement.
Blake was charged with 14 counts of wire fraud, according to the indictment charging Blake. The money transfers ranged from $388 to $1,834.
Blake transferred the funds to her bank and used the money to pay for personal purchases, prosecutors said. She also made payments to almost three dozen different personal credit card accounts.
Blake provided false financial information to the owner of the inn to cover up the fraudulent transactions, prosecutors said.
“Chiquita Blake was a trusted employee of a family-owned business, and stole from her employer to fuel a lifestyle far beyond her means,” David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, said in the news release. “She’s now being held accountable for her unbridled greed.”
McClatchy News reached out to Blake’s attorney for comment and did not receive an immediate response.
Blake’s guilty plea was accepted on March 24, according to court records.
In addition to her sentence of 51 months in prison, Blake is ordered to pay $508,114.37 to the Foley House Inn in restitution, serve three years of supervised release and perform 40 hours of community service after she completes her prison term, according to a news release.
This story was originally published March 25, 2022 at 12:15 PM with the headline "Manager of ‘haunted’ bed-and-breakfast swindled $500K, feds say. She’s off to prison."
