Additional charges in forgery case

Another 10 charges have been filed against Lola Vialpando.

Vialpando was charged in August with 10 counts of felony forgery, two counts of felony theft and one count of felony larceny. According to those charges, she allegedly forged checks between January and August of last year and facilitated online and mobile transfers of money from her employer to satisfy personal debts.

Recently in Thermopolis Circuit Court, additional charges including seven counts of forgery and three counts of theft were filed against Vialpando in a second case. The dates of these new allegations range from Oct. 17, 2014 through July 29, 2016.

In total Vialpando allegedly caused $94,234.18 in loss to Smith Oil Field Services, Inc., her former employer, according to the new charges. Taking into the previous forgery and theft counts, Vialpando’s alleged actions caused a loss of $251,827.42 over the course of two years. She has yet to face trial on the charges in Hot Springs County District Court.

According to the new forgery charges, Vialpando allegedly altered six bank statements at Smith Oil Field Services, between Jan. 29 and July 29 of 2016. On July 27, 2016, owner Kevin Smith reported suspicions that Vialpando was using the company account to make personal purchases. These purchases included payments on a phone bill, as well as a credit card that belonged to her husband. In August, Smith indicated which transactions on the account were legitimate and which appeared to be performed, unauthorized, by Vialpando.

Vialpando stated Smith had given her authority to pay the credit card debt and phone bill, and to use credit cards issued by a bank for business use, all of which Smith denied. However, according to an affidavit, at one time during the period in question Vialpando and her husband were compensated for use of their personal cell phones.

The forgery charges allege Vialpando altered account statements in 2016 to omit transactions, including: $12,092.31 in a Jan. 29 statement; $4,811.28 in a Feb. 29 statement; $4,008.12 in a March 31 statement; $25,018.58 in an April 29 statement; $6,559.44 in a May 31 statement; and $18,067.69 in a July 29 statement.

Further charges allege Vialpando used a check on the Smith Oil account in the amount of $1,913 on Oct. 27, 2014, as well as $2,805.23 between Feb. 9 and May 12, 2016 on credit cards issued for company use, to satisfy personal debt.

Vialpando is also accused of using the company-issued cards between July 7, 2015 and June 14, 2016 to make 131 online purchases of items totaling $8,752.04, and to make 202 local purchases between July 2, 2015 and July 20, 2016 in the amount of $10,206.49.