March 26, 2026, Norfolk, VA. According to prosecutors, a 62-year-old woman admitted to embezzling over $19,000 from a doctor’s office in Norfolk, where she was employed as a bookkeeper.

Wendy Ann Latham entered guilty pleas to three counts of felony embezzlement in Norfolk Circuit Court.

According to prosecutors, between October 2017 and March 2019, Latham compensated herself for lunch breaks that were not earned, overtime, and vacation time, while neglecting to withhold payments for employee health and dental insurance. The total embezzled sum amounted to $19,725.47.

The doctor’s office discovered the theft in March 2019 and referred the case to Norfolk police. Investigators later submitted the case to prosecutors, and Latham was indicted on multiple felony embezzlement charges in November 2019.

The Portsmouth Sheriff’s Office arrested her (ed: six years later) on Oct. 16, 2025.

Under the plea agreement, Latham will repay the full amount stolen and may be considered for home electronic monitoring or work release if eligible. Additional embezzlement counts were dismissed as part of the deal.

“Small businesses — whether doctors, plumbers, roofers, or tailors — depend on the honesty of their bookkeepers as much as on their expertise,” Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi said in a statement. “When a bookkeeper abuses her position of trust to steal, she can endanger the life’s work of the business’s owners. I sought these indictments in 2019, and now, in 2026, I will see this case through.”

Latham’s sentencing is set for June.

SOURCE: https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/norfolk-woman-pleads-guilty-stealing-155529444.html

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