A Minnesota woman's struggle with a gambling addiction results in a $2.7 million fraud scheme.

In Minnesota, a woman who stole nearly $3 million to feed her gambling addiction was sentenced recently. At the heart of this criminal case is a 37-year-old who once worked as an accountant for a surrogacy agency and its associated law firm.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Minnesota shared shocking news about an embezzlement case involving Destiny McKayla Combs. At 37, Combs had spent nearly a decade working as an Accounting Manager at a surrogacy agency and a related law firm. She was entrusted with overseeing all financial matters, from statements to taxes. In 2022, after proving her worth as a key member of the surrogacy agency, she was given the opportunity to buy the business when its owner planned to retire in 2023. But despite her trusted position, Combs unexpectedly resigned before the sale went through and relocated to Florida. This sudden move prompted an investigation, which revealed a startling betrayal. During her tenure as Accounting Manager, Combs had siphoned off more than $2.7 million from the companies. Her crime spanned from February 2019 to June 2023. The embezzlement, though not complex, was alarmingly effective. Combs used company funds to pay off personal credit card bills she’d run up through gambling. Court documents laid bare the full extent of her actions. She fed her gambling addiction by executing 292 transactions over 52 months, stealing a staggering $2,723,025. Despite the simplicity of her scheme, Combs managed to cover her tracks by making fake entries in the companies' financial records.

Earlier this week, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota delivered a decisive sentence for a 37-year-old woman. Throughout the trial, Combs was supposed to be under strict supervision by pretrial services. Yet, she consistently deceived her probation officer and flouted the conditions of her release by traveling to places like New York and Las Vegas. The court saw this as a blatant disregard for the travel restrictions set in place. Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson remarked, Combs treated her workplace like her own personal slot machine. On Tuesday, Combs was sentenced to spend 51 months behind bars for embezzlement. Once she completes her four years and three months in prison, the U.S. District Court has ruled that she will undergo three years of supervised release.