Former Salinas construction controller charged with stealing more than $8 million from past employer

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KION-TV) - A former Salinas construction company controller was charged on Thursday after an alleged theft of more than $8 million from her former employer.

42-year-old Monique Marie Dodson was charged with six counts of wire fraud and one count of money laundering, allegedly taking money from the unnamed company.

According to the United States Attorney's Office, Northern District of California, Doson allegedly began conducting 136 unauthorized transfers into her personal bank account from October 2021 to November 2023.

These transfers were characterized as payments for materials used by the company to conceal the transactions and avoid any detection of future transfers.

The court filing also alleges Dodson intercepted and destroyed bank statements sent by the unnamed company. Dodson allegedly also downloaded the bank statements to remove her name, saving altered statements and submitting them to the company.

In total, the unauthorized transfers combined come to approximately $8,579,647.

Dodson will appear before the federal district court in San Jose on August 19 for arraignment. Dodoson faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, 20 years for wire fraud, and 10 years for money laundering.