Former Chiropractic Office Manager Sentenced to Over Five Years for Embezzlement Scheme

Emiliya Radford, 33, of Warner Robins, Georgia, was sentenced to 66 months in prison on October 9 after a federal jury found her guilty of bank fraud and other federal crimes in an embezzlement scheme that caused more than $200,000 in losses to Smith Spinal Care Center, leading to its closure. In addition to her prison sentence, Radford will serve three years of supervised release and must pay $298,042.72 in restitution to Dr. James C. Smith, owner of the spinal center.

Radford was found guilty of one count each of bank fraud, wire fraud, and federal program theft following approximately one hour of jury deliberations on June 27. There is no possibility of parole in the federal system.

U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary commented on the impact of financial crimes, stating, “Financial crime can be life-changing for its victims; here, it forced a business’s closure and burdened innocent people with debt and other troubles.” He emphasized the commitment of law enforcement to protect small businesses from fraud.

Robert Gibbs, Senior Supervisory Senior Resident Agent of FBI Atlanta’s Macon office, added, “Radford violated the trust of the company that hired her and elevated her to a position of leadership. Because of her selfishness and greed, she has not only thrown away her career, but crippled a business and took away jobs from numerous victims. She will now serve a well-deserved prison sentence.”

According to court documents, Radford’s company, Cyber Pinecone, was contracted in September 2019 to perform marketing work for Smith Spinal Care Center. She was hired as Office Manager in May 2020, gaining signatory authority over the center’s bank account, which allowed her to issue and sign payroll checks.

Despite her authorized salary, Radford continued to write and endorse checks to Cyber Pinecone for marketing work totaling over $200,000 without permission. She also granted herself an unauthorized pay raise and used SSCC funds to purchase over $11,000 worth of items from the Apple Store, which she shipped to her residence. Following her resignation on December 19, 2022, federal agents executed a search warrant at her home on May 4, 2023, finding some of the stolen items.

A portion of the embezzled funds was traced to COVID-19 Federal Economic Disaster Loans (EIDL) meant to support the business.

The case was investigated by the FBI, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Howard prosecuting for the government.