Donna Osowitt Steele of Taylorsville is accused of embezzling over $15 million from her employer Tigra, in Hickory, between 2013 and 2020. Donna Steele quickly understood our style and truly made our vision a reality. Email Address: s XBCM @yahoo.com. Tigra Steele pleaded guilty to a wire fraud embezzlement scheme that involved Tigra, a company based out of Hickory. You look at what she did to him, maybe he wouldnt have been that shocked.. Alexander County woman expected to plead guilty in $15M embezzlement case. Donna lives at 1260 6th Str NW, Hickory, NC 28601-2408. WSOC TV facebook feed(Opens a new window), PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Former CEO pleads guilty to embezzling more than $15M to fund lavish lifestyle, RELATED: Former NC CEO accused of embezzling $15 million accepts plea deal, Fisherman pulls massive catfish out of Lake Norman, City worker killed in accidental fire at home, Charlotte Fire says, Another homebuyer says Keyo Tiny House didnt do the work, AA pilots picket outside Charlotte Douglas over contract negotiations, Man accused in NC deputys shooting death escapes jail, deputies say, WSOC - TV Public File Contact / Program Director, WAXN - TV Public File Contact / Program Director. Court documents said she used the money to pay for her lavish lifestyle, including travel, $500,000 on jewelry, and family weddings. The address on file for this person is 178 North Shore Dr, Hickory, NC 28601 in Catawba County. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, Van crashes into industrial clinic on Tate Boulevard in Hickory; no serious injuries reported, Hickory fiber optic company suffered ransomware attack in March, Catawba County Schools announces 5 new principals, LOCAL PRO ROUNDUP: Bumgarner released by D-backs after clearing waivers, Comic book store owner's heroic action leads to arrest of man on attempted rape charge in Hickory, Alexander County high school received concerning call; students are safe, additional police responding, Wine, NC beer now available at two more businesses in downtown Newton, Car flips onto roof, one person injured in Hickory crash, New property values in Catawba County are a land and money grab, Hickory man makes court apperance in fatal hit-and-run, 9-year-old, baby remain hospitalized after crash that killed mother, He was born with defective heart; foundation in his memory touched many in Catawba County, Newton-Conover's Garcia signs with Carolina University for soccer, See a clip now: 'Bar Rescue' episode featuring Hickory pub that airs at 10 p.m. on April 23, Board denies book appeal in 4-3 vote; book challenger says policy unclear, Ukrainian soldiers get targeted by rockets while digging trenches near Bakhmut, Scientists launch new study into humans after realizing spiders lose eyesight due to malnutrition, Analysis: Mom and pop safe as First Republic Bank fails, Biden vows banking system is 'safe and sound'. Donna O Steele is listed as a Vice President with Steele's luxury real estate, inc. in North Carolina. Steele pleaded guilty to the charges on Aug. 1, 1995. You have permission to edit this article. She was fired from the company on Jan. 28, 2020. You can cancel at any time. Steele, 52, of Taylorsville will be sentenced at a later date, Judge David. She was ordered to surrender her passport and will be sentenced at a later date. I think this type of lifestyle is a lost art. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. The Associated Press contributed to this article. The judge also ordered that she pay 10 percent of the restitution the day of her sentencing. TAYLORSVILLE, N.C. The name of a woman who confessed to an embezzlement scheme worth millions is now starting to disappear across Taylorsville. She claimed her parents were very wealthy and that was how she could afford all of the stuff she did, he said. Her personal card would never be rejected, Mooneyham wrote. Perkins said the company was alerted to the embezzlement when the bank informed Jack Perkins about odd activity in the account. Motzer was joined in the courtroom by about a dozen TIGRA employees. Whether its raising two chickens, gardening or whatever. A former Hickory CEO is set to spend eight years in federal prison for embezzling more than $15 million from the company she once headed. Donna Osowitt Steele admitted Wednesday to embezzling more than $15 million from a company in Hickory where she was once CEO. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Steele plans to liquidate some of her assets to make the payments. Hickory, NC. You have permission to edit this article. ROBERT C. REED, RECORD Steele entered a guilty plea in January, admitting to embezzling more than $15 million from TIGRA USA, a Germany-based tool company with a location in Hickory. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). You can cancel at any time. Extra police have been stationed at Alexander Central High School following a phone call on Thursday. Former CEO to pay full restitution in $15M embezzlement scheme This is the one, when it came available, we decided to go for it, Goewey said. Since Steeles 1995 embezzlement charge while employed by AdSign was a superior court case, those records were still available. Donna Osowitt Steele is accused of embezzling more than $15 million from her employer, Tigra, in Hickory between 2013 and 2020. She added: I never questioned her about this because I trusted her and never thought there was an alternative reason for doing this. Holm wrote that she was hired at age 23 and that working under Steele had a detrimental and lasting impact on both my mental and emotional health. She recalled being bombarded by angry customers unhappy with the service from the company and having to work overtime to satisfy those customers. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. According to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety website, Steele was incarcerated from Aug. 1, 1995 until June 28, 1996. Assistant United States Attorney Maria Vento of the U.S. Attorneys Office in Charlotte, is prosecuting the case. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, Photos courtesy of LAZE L FARM PHOTOGRAPHY, Photo courtesy of LAZE L FARM PHOTOGRAPHY, Van crashes into industrial clinic on Tate Boulevard in Hickory; no serious injuries reported, Hickory fiber optic company suffered ransomware attack in March, Catawba County Schools announces 5 new principals, LOCAL PRO ROUNDUP: Bumgarner released by D-backs after clearing waivers, Comic book store owner's heroic action leads to arrest of man on attempted rape charge in Hickory, Alexander County high school received concerning call; students are safe, additional police responding, Wine, NC beer now available at two more businesses in downtown Newton, Car flips onto roof, one person injured in Hickory crash, New property values in Catawba County are a land and money grab, Hickory man makes court apperance in fatal hit-and-run, 9-year-old, baby remain hospitalized after crash that killed mother, He was born with defective heart; foundation in his memory touched many in Catawba County, Newton-Conover's Garcia signs with Carolina University for soccer, See a clip now: 'Bar Rescue' episode featuring Hickory pub that airs at 10 p.m. on April 23, Board denies book appeal in 4-3 vote; book challenger says policy unclear, Ukrainian soldiers get targeted by rockets while digging trenches near Bakhmut, Scientists launch new study into humans after realizing spiders lose eyesight due to malnutrition, Analysis: Mom and pop safe as First Republic Bank fails, Biden vows banking system is 'safe and sound'. Steele's Farms property purchased for $1.5 million; new owners plan to Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. In addition to the credit card purchases, Steele admitted to issuing and causing to be issued to herself approximately 98 checks totaling more than $2.8 million from TIGRAs bank accounts, which Steele deposited into her personal bank account. Hickory, NC. Bernd Motzer confirmed the unnamed company is USA Tigra. Court documents reveal Donna Steele took more than $15 million from a business in Hickory. Donna Steele enters the federal courthouse in Charlotte on Thursday afternoon. Steele was employed at the company in 1999 and was promoted to chief executive officer in 2015, court documents say. This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. He shared these photos taken as Steele gave him and his fianc a tour. From at least 2013 to January 2020 while serving as vice president and later as CEO, Steele used her position to embezzle funds from TIGRA in a number of ways, including through fraudulent company credit card purchases, company checks, Quickbooks transactions and wire transfers, according to the news release. Select this result to view Donna M Steele's phone number, address, and more. He paid more than $3,000, only to find out the business had suddenly closed earlier in 2022. He said the embezzlement nearly bankrupted the company, and that it is still stuck with millions in debt. Donna Osowitt Steele. Kasie Mooneyham, Kyle Chapman and Sarah Holm presented a damning portrait of Steele as a master manipulator and habitual liar who created an environment of perpetual paranoia and anxiety.. Detailed court records of the case have since been destroyed, but a summary of the case was available at the Forsyth County Courthouse. Former CEO pleads guilty to embezzling more than $15M to fund - MSN District court records are destroyed after three years of the case being resolved in court. In January, Steele sold the Taylorsville property she used for a wedding venue known as The Nest for $1.5 million. Defendant has a long history of mental problems and at present cannot assist her attorney in the preparation of her case, a motion filed with court documents on Steeles fraudulent rental of motor vehicle charge in Forsyth County reads. 36. Steele's Farms property purchased for $1.5 million; new owners plan to use as farm, event venue. A Taylorsville property, once home to The Nest wedding venue at Steeles Farms, has new owners. In pushing for a relatively lenient sentence, Steeles attorneys argued that her mental health challenges, particularly a desire to buy love as a result of an abusive childhood, contributed to her embezzlement. She is currently awaiting sentencing. I started freaking out. Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. You have permission to edit this article. She used some of the money to pay for her lavish lifestyle and family businesses. Before Donna Osowitt Steele was charged with embezzling $15 million from TIGRA USA in Hickory, she pleaded guilty to embezzling from a family business in Winston-Salem in 1995. The filing status is listed as Admin. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). Steele used company credit cards to pay for $6 million in personal expenditures, including high-end retail store purchases, luxury hotel accommodations, event ticket purchases, expensive jewelry, family weddings and purchases related to Opulence by Steele, a luxury clothing and boutique company the defendant founded in 2013, the news release stated. Carter can be contacted at kerrie@ellendaleevents.com. Cayer gave her a $25,000 unsecured bond and ordered that she surrender her passport. It was said in court that TIGRA is looking for more than $16 million in restitution. Donna Steele pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $15 million from a Hickory business over seven years. Officials told Channel 9 none of the $15 million has been paid back. Two other letters, also critical of Steele, were submitted for the courts consideration in March. Being in this room, Im picturing a bride standing there saying their vows, Carter said. After pleading guilty earlier this year, Channel 9 learned that as part of her plea agreement, Steele agreed to pay full restitution in the embezzlement case and is liquidating her assets. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Court documents showed Steele spent over half a million on jewelry alone. A former Hickory CEO is set to spend eight years in federal prison for embezzling more than $15 million from the company she once headed. He said after several phone calls, he was able to get his money back, but the new property owner, Kerrie Carter, told Channel 9 that Steele has not reimbursed all of the brides. An employee at the Clerk of Court office in Davie County said Steele was charged with four counts of worthless simple checks and two probation violations in 1995. That girl, shes evil, Britt Perkins said. The phone number for Donna is (828) 322-3512 (Central Tel Co of North Carolina). {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, Van crashes into industrial clinic on Tate Boulevard in Hickory; no serious injuries reported, Hickory fiber optic company suffered ransomware attack in March, Catawba County Schools announces 5 new principals, LOCAL PRO ROUNDUP: Bumgarner released by D-backs after clearing waivers, Comic book store owner's heroic action leads to arrest of man on attempted rape charge in Hickory, Alexander County high school received concerning call; students are safe, additional police responding, Wine, NC beer now available at two more businesses in downtown Newton, Car flips onto roof, one person injured in Hickory crash, New property values in Catawba County are a land and money grab, Hickory man makes court apperance in fatal hit-and-run, 9-year-old, baby remain hospitalized after crash that killed mother, He was born with defective heart; foundation in his memory touched many in Catawba County, Newton-Conover's Garcia signs with Carolina University for soccer, See a clip now: 'Bar Rescue' episode featuring Hickory pub that airs at 10 p.m. on April 23, Board denies book appeal in 4-3 vote; book challenger says policy unclear, 'On Patrol: Live:' Brookford police to appear on TV show again; episodes air Friday, Saturday nights, Update: 2 adults, 2 teens charged in Hickory shooting that injured 17-year-old, Ukrainian soldiers get targeted by rockets while digging trenches near Bakhmut, Scientists launch new study into humans after realizing spiders lose eyesight due to malnutrition, Analysis: Mom and pop safe as First Republic Bank fails, Biden vows banking system is 'safe and sound'. Hickory Daily Record city reporter A man was arrested on an attempted rape charge thanks to the quick action of a local businessman and his friend. Hickory Daily Record city reporter And Im thinking, Man, when the flowers and the trees and everything comes into bloom, this is just going to be a setting thats so memorable. Thats what I want to do; I want to create memories.. Please subscribe to keep reading. Her court date has not been scheduled. Bernd Motzer, the owner Tigra, spoke at the sentencing, noting the company almost went under due to the accused actions of Steele. No other details have been released at this point. Over the last couple of months, the Steele name has been removed from storefronts and other buildings. Steele also caused 127 fraudulent and unauthorized wire transfers to be executed as Quickbooks transactions, transferring more than $4.7 million from TIGRAs bank accounts to her personal bank account. You can cancel at any time. Donna Osowitt Steele is accused of embezzling more than $15 million from her employer, Tigra, in Hickory between 2013 and 2020, according to court documents. By using this website, you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement and Privacy Policy, and understand your options regarding Ad Choices.