DENVER — A woman was indicted by a grand jury for allegedly taking more than $800,000 from Gunnison Valley Family Physicians while she worked as an officer manager for one of the practice's locations.
Attorney General Phil Weiser announced the indictment on Wednesday morning.
“Small businesses have long been the bedrock of Colorado’s economy and local communities," he said. "Losses from business theft have a profound and negative impact on not only the owners and employees of small businesses, but also on the people they serve. We’re committed to holding accountable those who engage in business theft and harm the community.”
Barbara Helen Rider, 52, worked as an office manager for the medical practice located in Gunnison. She allegedly took approximately $859,968 in business funds from GVFP for personal use over a 14-year period — from Jan. 1, 2005 to Dec. 2, 2019, Weiser said. She allegedly made payments on her credit cards, wrote and chased checks for herself and used the medical practice's business credit card for personal use.
She allegedly disguised these transactions to make them seem business-related in GVFP's financial records.
According to the indictment, she also allegedly altered the business's records to conceal her failure to repay a $20,000 personal loan she received from GVFP partners in 2018.
Rider also faces charges of filing false tax returns from 2015 through 2018, according to court documents.
She has been charged with 10 counts of felony theft and four counts of filing a false tax return.
The indictment was filed in Denver District Court.