Ex-CFO accused of stealing up to $1.4 million from Tacoma maritime business
The former chief financial officer for Tacoma Propeller is suspected of stealing between $834,541 and $1,451,943 from the business for personal use during her 11-year employment, court records show.
Prosecutors charged Shantel Leyan Jones, 50, with first-degree theft and identity theft. Both charges have been categorized a major economic offense, according to the probable cause affidavit.
A major economic offense means the alleged crimes involved multiple victims or incidents per victim, the monetary loss was significantly greater than normal, there was a high level of planning over a lengthy period of time and the defendant abused a position of trust. According to the Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, a judge would have the discretion to sentence Jones beyond the standard range if she’s convicted.
Jones has been summoned to appear for arraignment at Pierce County Superior Court Aug. 22.
An attorney for Tacoma Propellers declined to comment for this story, citing the active status of the case.
The News Tribune’s attempts to contact Jones were not immediately successful.
Tacoma Propeller specializes in the sale and repair of boat propellers, according to the description of the business. It is owned by Kruger Industries.
Court documents lay out cases against Jones
Jones, her husband and their two adult children were sued by Kruger Industries and Kruger Properties in August 2024 for $1,192,343.20 for alleged embezzlement, according to a civil suit. In a statement to the court, Jones denied the accusations that she stole over $1 million from the company.
The lawsuit is ongoing with the next hearing scheduled the last week of January 2026. The date is unconfirmed, court records show.
When Jones was hired in March 2011, she had access to a company credit card, the company cash account, the company payroll and created a Shell Credit Card in the company’s name, according to documents filed in the criminal case.
Documents show Jones was paid $26 per hour. Prosecutors allege that Jones increased her own salary without authorization and used the cash account and the company credit card to pay her personal expenses.
“The defendant also began giving herself unauthorized bonuses as early as 2013, where she gave herself an unauthorized bonus of $24,606.9, and 2014, when she gave herself an unauthorized bonus of $19,791.19,” according to charging documents.
Prosecutors added, “In 2020, she began giving herself unauthorized reimbursements in the amount of $24,603.81, which increased to $25,759.41 the following year.”
When company officials accused Jones of theft in 2022, prosecutors wrote, the total amount of alleged payroll theft was determined to be $470,158.78.
Jones allegedly incurred over $225,000 in unauthorized transactions, such as Amazon purchases to her house on business credit card accounts. There were allegedly charges for personal travel expenses to Oregon and San Diego, personal property taxes, restaurants and other personal items, prosecutors wrote. Documents show in addition to taking out an approved business card in her own name, Jones allegedly took out a card in Doug Kruger’s name, which was not authorized. Monthly billing statements from the credit cards went directly to Jones.
A complaint from Kruger Industries’ lawsuit against Jones shows that Doug Kruger is an owner of the company. Jones reported directly to him.
In March 2022, documents show that Kruger learned he had a Bank of America credit card opened in his name without his permission. When he reviewed the records, Kruger noted numerous transactions were not associated with the business.
Kruger reportedly confronted Jones, and she began to cry, saying she would pay the company back, court records show. Since the company did not know the full extent of the alleged theft, she was not fired but moved to a different position.
When the investigation began, Jones allegedly had credit card statements and other financial documents from between 2011 to 2016 shredded, prosecutors wrote.
Court documents show that Jones was terminated in September 2022. She allegedly admitted to taking funds, but only between $18,000 to $20,000. An outside auditor was hired to facilitate discussions between Jones and the company on a restitution agreement, documents show. Jones allegedly stopped participating in the audit.
The losses the company incurred between when Jones was hired in 2011 to when she was terminated were between $834,541 and $1,451,943, according to the forensic audit. There were also suspicious transitions that did not have documentation.
In their investigation, law enforcement detectives focused on the losses incurred from January 2020 to when Jones was terminated, which totaled $184,921.26.
