Former Art Gallery Employee Pleads Guilty in More Than $1.5 Million Embezzlement Scheme

2014-11-29

United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Jeffrey Hall (48, Maitland) has pleaded guilty to mail fraud. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. As part of his plea agreement, Hall agreed to pay over $1.5 million in restitution. His sentencing has been scheduled for February 19, 2015.

Hall was indicted on August 27, 2014.

According to court documents, Hall worked at a local art gallery with other locations outside of Central Florida. Over a two-year period, he used his position at the gallery to embezzle over $1.5 million. Hall did this by diverting proceeds from the sale of artwork to his own personal bank accounts, or to a business account that belonged to him. He also used the gallery’s artwork as loan collateral for himself and sold some of the artwork on eBay.

Source: U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation