A federal jury has convicted Kami Elois Power, 54, of Gardnerville, Nevada, on multiple counts of fraud and identity theft. The verdict was delivered after a six-day trial before U.S. District Judge Dena M. Coggins.
U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced that Power was found guilty of 11 counts of wire fraud, three counts of bank fraud, and three counts of aggravated identity theft.
According to evidence presented at trial, Power worked as an office manager and controller for a family-owned construction company in South Lake Tahoe between November 2019 and May 2023. During this period, she embezzled over $1.4 million from the company by disguising more than $700,000 in fraudulent transfers as payments to vendors using fake profiles created in the names of real companies and fictitious entities such as “KEP Inc. Sale” and “KPI.” Additional funds were disguised as payroll or reimbursement payments.
Power also made unauthorized personal purchases with the company’s credit card and used company funds to pay down her own credit card balances. The stolen money was used to buy two houses, several vehicles including ATVs, a horse, field-level seats at football games, and a $29,000 vacation in Hawaii.
The investigation involved the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office, and the South Lake Tahoe Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elliot Wong and Dhruv Sharma are prosecuting the case.
Power is scheduled for sentencing on February 27, 2026. She faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count of wire fraud; up to 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine for each count of bank fraud; and a mandatory two-year sentence for each count of aggravated identity theft. The final sentence will be determined by Judge Coggins based on statutory factors and federal Sentencing Guidelines.
