Woman pleads guilty to embezzling more than $400,000

A Gloucester County woman pleaded guilty Tuesday to embezzling taxpayer money through a Philadelphia company that maintained inactive Navy ships, federal prosecutors said.

Marian Murphy, 61, of Sewell, and a codefendant falsified travel and other expenses documents to obtain more than $400,000, prosecutors said.

The codefendant, Serena Thomas-Erby, is awaiting trial.

Both worked for Global Associates Ltd., which had a contract to maintain inactive vessels at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and elsewhere.

Murphy was an administrative assistant and had been working at Global Associates since 1987. Thomas-Erby was hired in 1990 as an accounting clerk and was promoted to budget analyst.

Prosecutors alleged that the pair embezzled $431,181 from 2000 to September 2007.

They are accused of using the money to buy personal items, such as computers. Thomas-Erby is also accused of stealing money from Global Associates by writing checks to herself without authorization.

Murphy is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 16, 2010, and faces a maximum prison sentence of 15 years, a $500,000 fine, and mandatory restitution of the embezzled funds.

The case was investigated by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen A. Miller.