Columbia woman pleads guilty of defrauding North Carolina lab out of nearly $400,000

A Columbia woman pleaded guilty to defrauding a North Carolina clinical lab out of hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to a Wednesday report by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Tennessee.

Sonya White, 56, of Columbia, pleaded guilty Wednesday in U.S. District Court to defrauding a North Carolina clinical laboratory company out of nearly $400,000, said U.S. Attorney Henry C. Leventis for the Middle District of Tennessee.

White admitted that she defrauded the clinical laboratory company, identified in court documents as “Company A,” by creating a fictitious vendor named “Mid TN Diagnostics,” the reports says.

Between March 2017 and June 2019, White caused Mid TN Diagnostics to submit fraudulent invoices for payment to Company A. In total, the fraudulent invoice scheme caused Company A to lose approximately $389,620.

The report says White also admitted that, when the grand jury issued a subpoena to Mid TN Diagnostics, she caused the company to provide falsified documents to the grand jury.

White’s sentencing is set for Feb. 2. She faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. In addition to any fine, White has agreed to the entry of a forfeiture money judgment against her in the amount of $389,620.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Taylor J. Phillips is prosecuting the case.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Herald: Columbia woman pleads guilty of $400,000 in fraud of North Carolina lab