Former Coca-Cola employee charged with embezzling thousands of dollars in wire fraud scheme

ATLANTA - Federal prosecutors have charged a former Coca-Cola Co. employee on wire fraud, saying she embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars from the company.

(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

The U.S. attorney's office in Atlanta said Tuesday that 41-year-old Anne Gronek-Gibbs, a former sales director, used her position to embezzle over $450,000 in goods and services.

Prosecutors say she modified electronic quotes, purchase orders and invoices from company vendors and then had Coca-Cola pay them.

According to prosecutors, she used the scheme to pay for gift cards, jewelry, purses, and personal travel expenses. In some cases, officials say she booked first-class travel and had the company pay for luxury hotel accommodations. 

“Employees who are trusted with access to corporate funds are not entitled to use them to enrich themselves," said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. "
This case is a reminder that all entities should have strong internal controls and a robust compliance program to prevent this type of fraud.”

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is handling the case with assistance from the Atlanta Police Department's Major Fraud Unit.

It was not immediately clear whether she had an attorney who could comment.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.