Montana Bookkeeper Gets Prison Time in $166K Wire Fraud Scheme

A former bookkeeper from Poplar has been sentenced to six months in federal prison after she admitted to stealing more than $150,000 from a local manufacturing company over two years.

The suspect, identified as Parker Lee Gray Hawk, 36, was sentenced on May 12 in federal court in Great Falls, Montana. She will also serve three years of supervised release after her prison term, as mentioned by the court. Gray Hawk, earlier, pleaded guilty in December 2025 to one count of wire fraud.

Chief U.S District Judge Brian M. Morris handed down the sentence. According to court records, Fort Peck Manufacturing, Inc. first got suspicious about the theft after noticing problems with its bank account in late 2023. Company officials later learned that the account had fallen into a negative balance because of suspicious transactions.

Several checks raised concerns because they were written in round-number amounts and had no taxes withheld. Investigators later found that all those checks had been signed by Gray Hawk.

A detailed study of bank records showed Gray Hawk had written checks to people who did not work for the company. Authorities said she also used company credit cards and accounts for personal spending.

The unauthorized transactions included online purchases through Amazon and electronic payments sent through Apple, CashApp, PayPal, and Western Union.

Investigations later interviewed people who received the checks. According to court documents, those individuals told law enforcement that Gray Hawk asked them to cash the checks. They were allowed to keep part of the money while giving the rest back to her.

Federal prosecutors claim that Gray Hawk embezzled about $166,156.47 from Fort Pack Manufacturing Inc. between 2001 and 2023.

The amount included $98,644.28 obtained through fraudulent checks and another $67,512.19 through unauthorised electronic payments and credit card transactions.

Now the court has ordered Gray Hawk to pay $131,901.57 in restitution to the company. It is reported that acting U.S. Attorney Tim Racicot announced the sentence.

The FBI and the Fort Peck Tribes Department of Law & Justice investigated the case, and the U.S. Attorney's Office handled the prosecution.

The sentencing closes a case that began after the company and its bank worked together to trace unusual activity and fraud. Investigators said the review revealed a pattern of unauthorised spending and fraudulent payments that went on for two years.