Indiana man gets 30 months in prison for defrauding employer

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A central Indiana man has been sentenced to 30 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to stealing $270,000 from an ophthalmology practice where he worked through a fraud scheme.

A federal judge also ordered Joshua D. Millspaugh, the former practice administrator for Whitson Vision PC, to pay $270,000 in restitution and be supervised for three years following his release from prison.

Millspaugh, 42, had pleaded guilty to wire fraud charges, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Thursday.

The office said in a news release that the Westfield man was responsible for Whitson Vision’s payroll processing, purchasing and bill payment. Despite receiving an annual salary of over $100,000, prosecutors said he diverted money from the company accounts to himself over a period of more than five years.

Millspaugh used his access to company accounts to divert company money to himself through more than 500 transactions and used the money for personal purchases, to pay his own bills and send extra payroll checks to his bank account, prosecutors said.

He concealed the transactions with false entries in the company’s books and through fictitious justifications when asked about the expenditures, the Indianapolis Business Journal reported.

Dr. William Whitson, owner of Whitson Vision, told the court before sentencing that Millspaugh’s crimes resulted in credit, banking and morale problems for his company and harmed its reputation.