FBI Paralegal Specialist Pleads Guilty to Embezzling Government Funds

A paralegal specialist for the San Diego Division of the FBI pleaded guilty Wednesday to embezzling nearly $160,000 in government funds, according to a statement from the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General.

Lynn M. Morris, 51, of San Diego, California, pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement of government property. Morris will be sentenced on June 4 before U.S. District Court Judge Larry Alan Burns of the Southern District of California.

According to admissions made in connection with her guilty plea, between July 2014 and November 2016, Morris embezzled approximately $159,821.90 that belonged to the United States and converted the funds for her own personal use. The funds were held in an account owned by the FBI San Diego Division’s Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU).

From 2014 to 2016, Morris was a paralegal specialist and the designated coordinator for the AFU. Morris admitted that to convert government funds to her own use, she used her knowledge and position within the FBI to withdraw cash from the AFU’s account and deposited portions of the stolen proceeds into her personal checking account.