LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU)— A man has been sentenced for embezzling over $1.5 million from a Luzerne County HVAC business to fund his online gambling accounts.
Lawrence Malachefski, 39, of Wikes-Barre has been sentenced to 30 months of prison and a three-year term of supervised release for wire fraud.
According to U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam, from March to May 2023, Malachefski was the financial controller of a Wilkes-Barre-based Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) business and was trusted to initiate money transfers between the HVAC company’s bank accounts.
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Police stated Malachefski embezzled $1,586,557.45 from the HVAC company’s accounts to his account. From there, officials say Malachefski gambled the money on various gambling sites such as FanDuel, Barstool Sports, DraftKings, and Unibet.
At his sentencing, Malachefski was ordered to pay $1,586,557.45 in restitution to the company.
