Hickory Woman Given Federal Prison Time

55-year-old Jennifer Elaine Roarke of Hickory was sentenced Thursday to 30 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release. She received the prison time for embezzling more than $2 million from the clients of the law firm where she was employed as a paralegal. The announcement was made by Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.

According to court documents and the sentencing hearing, from 2007 to 2021, Roarke, who is also known as Jennifer Claveria, was employed as an assistant and a paralegal for a law firm in Hickory. The law firm handled, among other things, the administration and management of trusts for clients, including the trusts’ bank accounts. As part of her duties, Roarke was responsible for opening mail, depositing checks into trust bank accounts, and processing invoices.

Court records show that, from 2015 to September 2021, Roarke executed the embezzlement scheme by causing at least 190 fraudulent and unauthorized bank wires, totaling more than $2 million, from the law firm’s clients’ trust bank accounts to bank accounts controlled by Roarke. Roarke used the embezzled funds to pay for personal items, make mortgage, car, and credit card payments, and to fund an extravagant lifestyle.

On December 1, 2023, Roarke pleaded guilty to wire fraud. She is released on bond. She will be ordered to report to the federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.

Rob Eastwood-WHKY