Rochester tax preparer sentenced to probation for embezzling during time as Oronoco CFO

(ABC 6 News) — A Rochester tax preparer who was accused of embezzling from an Oronoco business was sentenced to five years of probation on Tuesday, July 16.

Blake Schaefer, 44, was accused of embezzling over $100,000 between 2017 and 2022 when he worked as Chief Financial Officer for the business.

Schaefer originally faced three charges of felony theft, but one one of those charges were dropped under the plea deal that he took in March.

Under the plea deal, Schaefer was sentenced to five years of probation, community service and to pay back over $125,000 in restitution.

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(ABC 6 News) – A Rochester tax specialist pleaded guilty to two of three felony theft charges from his time with an Oronoco business.

Blake Allyn Schaefer, 44, was accused of embezzling more than $100,000 between 2017 and 2022, when he worked as Chief Financial Officer.

Schaefer was listed as the Chief Financial Officer for Ryan Windows and Siding, an Oronoco installation company, on LinkedIn.

He is currently a tax preparer at Midwest Accountability, a Rochester-area business.

According to Schaefer’s plea agreement, entered Thursday, March 22, he pleaded guilty to two felony theft charges in exchage for up to 5 years’ probation, no jail time, and an agreement to pay restitution “based on all three counts.”

Schaefer’s sentencing is scheduled for May 22.

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(ABC 6 News) – A Rochester tax specialist appeared in Olmsted County Court Wednesday on three charges of theft, after allegedly embezzling more than $100,000 from an Oronoco business.

Blake Allyn Schaefer, 44, faces three charges of felony theft.

In November of 2022, Olmsted County deputies responded to a report of employee theft in Oronoco Township.

A company owner allegedly wanted to report Schaefer, the company’s Chief Financial Officer, for embezzling more than $150,000 between 2017 and 2022.

According to court documents, the company had hired a CPA firm to take over payroll and finances, which had detected fraudulent activity starting in 2017, and continuing until the company fired Schaefer in November of 2022.

Schaefer was listed as the Chief Financial Officer for Ryan Windows and Siding, an Oronoco installation company, on LinkedIn.

He is currently a tax preparer at Midwest Accountability, a Rochester-area business.

According to court documents, deputies listened to a recorded phone call between the company owner and Schaefer, in which “Schaefer admitted to doing the thefts for ‘basically a year.'”

“Schaefer also stated the amount was about ‘forty grand.’ Schaefer would put down ‘extra hours,'” court documents read. “When asked if he would just add on hours, Schaefer stated ‘Yeah.'”

In April of 2023, an investigator allegedly interviewed Schaefer, who said he’d worked for the company for about 10 years.

According to court documents, Schaefer allegedly said he “got money tight” and began padding his paycheck with extra hours, which continued for “two, maybe three” years.

He estimated the embezzlement at about $60,000 in the interview, according to court documents.

According to court documents, an accounting service looked at a period of about 15 months between Aug. 31, 2021, and Nov. 23, 2022.

The accounting company allegedly determined that between those two dates, Schaefer had paid $99,575.78 in excess wages to himself.