Idaho Falls man pleads guilty to stealing over $280,000

An Idaho Falls man has pleaded guilty to unauthorized use an access device.

According to a plea agreement filed in U.S. District Court in Pocatello, Matthew Lewis Udy, 45, was hired in December 2009 as a business and financial manager. According to U.S. Attorney for Idaho Wendy Olson, Udy was entrusted to handle his employer’s personal investments, rental properties, and other financial matters.

From April 2011 through September 2013, Udy stole $150,346.52 from his his employer’s rental properties.

During the same time frame, Udy used five credit card accounts owned by his employer to make unauthorized personal purchases. According to the plea agreement, he used those accounts to receive $130,189 in payments, including gift cards, hotel rooms and other things of value.

Udy admitted to disguising fraudulent credit card transactions by mirroring legitimate transactions and only paying the accounts with his employer’s funds.

The charge of unauthorized use of an access device is punishable by up to 15 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000 and up to three years of supervised release.

Udy is scheduled for sentencing February 17, 2015 before U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge at the federal courthouse in Pocatello.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service and the Idaho Falls Police Department.