A St. Paul man was sentenced to more than three years in prison for stealing $1.2 million from the insurance company he worked at over a period of several decades.
John William Rowan, 41, received 41 months after pleading guilty on Jan. 19 to one count of wire fraud. Rowan was sentenced Friday in U.S. District Court in St. Paul.
Rowan, who served as an accountant and controller for Garry Insurancenter based in North St. Paul, issued 150 unauthorized checks to himself from the firm’s accounts resulting in a loss of $1,216,218.64.
“This case exemplifies the seriousness of embezzlement and the damage it causes to small business owners,” said acting United States Attorney Gregory G. Brooker in a statement. “Criminals who engage in this type of conduct will be brought to justice.”
Rowan began stealing from the company as early as October 1995 and continued through July 2015, authorities said.
This case was brought after an investigation by the FBI, the state Department of Commerce Fraud Bureau, and the North St. Paul Police Department.
Following his prison term, Rowan will be on supervised release for three years. He also was ordered to re-pay the $1.2 million he stole.