A former administrative assistant, Ashley Blundell, has been arrested after police in Shreveport, Louisiana, said a company review led to an investigation involving more than $743,000 in alleged losses.
The Shreveport Police Department did not publicly identify the company. Police said Blundell’s position gave her access to invoices, accounts payable, expense statements and company credit cards.
Investigators allege unauthorized credit-card activity occurred between 2024 and 2026, with additional losses coming from checks drawn on the company’s account and made payable to Blundell.
Shreveport Police initially obtained a warrant accusing Blundell of access device fraud and forgery. The department later announced that she had been arrested.
Police Say the Company Card Carried $586,488.70 in Unauthorized Charges
Investigators allege Blundell obtained a credit card in her own name on the company’s business account without authorization. Police said approximately $586,488.70 in unauthorized charges were made using the card between 2024 and 2026.
Police said the alleged purchases covered travel, clothing and jewelry, household expenses, vehicle repairs, health and beauty services, veterinary care, food delivery and rideshares. Investigators also identified tuition payments and tickets to concerts and sporting events.
Detectives said they obtained records from multiple businesses and financial institutions that they believe connected Blundell to the unauthorized transactions.
Police Say Checks Payable to Blundell Totaled $156,806.29
Police said the alleged activity extended beyond the company credit card. Detectives accuse Blundell of writing multiple unauthorized checks from the business account payable to herself and depositing them into her personal account.
Investigators put those checks at approximately $156,806.29. Combined with the alleged card charges, police calculated the company’s estimated loss at $743,294.99.
The Arrest Warrant Cited Access Device Fraud and Forgery
Shreveport Police said the warrant accused Blundell of access device fraud under Louisiana Revised Statute 14:70.4 and forgery under Louisiana Revised Statute 14:72.
Louisiana’s access device fraud statute defines an access device to include account information and other means of account access that can be used to obtain something of value. The law also provides that separate alleged takings can be aggregated when determining the grade of an offense.
The state’s forgery statute covers forging a signature or another part of a writing with intent to defraud, as well as knowingly issuing, transferring or possessing a forged writing with fraudulent intent.
Business Records Can Help Reconcile Card and Check Activity
The IRS says businesses should keep supporting documents for transactions, including invoices, receipts, account statements, credit card records and canceled checks. Those records support entries in a company’s books.
For checks, financial records can identify the check number, amount, payee and transaction date. Credit card records can similarly show the amount charged, payee and date, giving businesses another set of details to compare with invoices and accounting entries.
The IRS also recommends reconciling business checking accounts by comparing bank statements with the company’s checkbook and accounting records. That comparison can expose transactions recorded by the bank that do not match the company’s books.