Department of JusticeU.S. Attorney’s Office
Western District of Missouri
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, May 8, 2017
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that the former city clerk of Walnut Grove, Mo., pleaded guilty in federal court today to a credit card fraud scheme in which she embezzled city funds.
Cari Gillmore, 45, of Springfield, waived her right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge David P. Rush to a federal information that charges her with credit card fraud.
By pleading guilty today, Gillmore admitted that she conducted financial transactions for personal expenses with credit cards that were issued to the city of Walnut Grove. Those purchases were made without the permission of city officials and were unrelated to the business or affairs of the city of Walnut Grove. Fraudulent credit card transactions conducted by Gillmore between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2015, totaled $27,308. From January 2014 and June 13, 2016, Gillmore engaged in additional relevant conduct for a total loss amount of $67,598.
Under federal statutes, Gillmore is subject to a sentence of up to 15 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.