Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Former utility employee pleads guilty in $6.7 million office supply scheme

A former Las Vegas Valley Water District employee could face up to 23 years in prison for defrauding the utility company out of more than $6.7 million, according to the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of Nevada.

Jennifer J. McCain-Bray, 43, who also goes by the name JJ McCain, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to one count each of mail fraud and subscribing to a false tax return, officials said.

For about nine years beginning on Jan. 1, 2007, McCain-Bray fraudulently purchased about $6.7 million of ink and toner cartridges using Water District funds, claiming the items were for the utility’s use, officials said. McCain-Bray worked as a purchasing analyst.

In reality, she devised a scheme in which the items were shipped to her office at the utility company, where they were relabeled, repackaged and sent to a New Jersey company, which resold them for a profit, officials said.

The New Jersey company would then transfer money to McCain-Bray’s personal PayPal account, officials said. She used the money to enjoy a lavish lifestyle, including extensive home remodeling, trips and gifts for family and friends.

From 2011 to 2015, McCain-Bray also failed to report more than $2.3 million in earnings to the IRS, which investigated the case with the FBI, officials said.

McCain-Bray faces up to 20 years in prison for mail fraud and up to three years for filing false tax returns, as well as $500,000 in fines, officials said. She was ordered to pay back the $6.7 million.

Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 29.