PHOENIX — Harlow White, 77, was sentenced to 15 months in prison and ordered to pay $291,420 in restitution after pleading guilty to money laundering for using stolen client funds to enrich himself.
White was the president and CEO of Eagle Property Management, Inc., a property management company whose clients included homeowners associations throughout the Phoenix metropolitan area, said a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice.
Prosecutors alleged that in 2005, ownership of the company was transferred to White’s daughter and the company began operating as EPMI. Between January 2010 and May 2014, EPMI – with Harlow White’s knowledge — the company stole at least $1.2 million directly from homeowner association clients’ bank accounts.
The stolen money was used, in part, to cover approximately $300,000 in personal charges on White’s American Express credit card.
“This is yet another example of a businessperson knowingly using a company bank account to pay his personal expenses,” stated IRS-Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Ismael Nevarez Jr., in a press release. “The sentencing of Mr. White will serve to discourage other business owners from doing the same while delivering justice to those who do business in an ethical manner.”