A Waynesville woman has been sentenced to 5.8 years in federal prison for embezzling more than $1.5 million from Silver Bluff Village, a long-term care facility in Bethel. Amy Elizabeth Curry, 48, must also serve three years of supervised release and pay $1,469,407.24 in restitution.
The theft forced Lisa Leatherwood, a third-generation owner, to sell the family business. Despite wishing for a harsher sentence, she acknowledged that Curry’s punishment was severe for a white-collar crime.
As the office manager and bookkeeper at Silver Bluff, Curry began transferring funds in December 2022, ultimately making 154 fraudulent transactions to bank accounts under her control. She covered her tracks by deleting wire transfer histories, altering banking notifications, and disguising stolen funds as payroll expenses. Despite audits, the deception went undetected for months.
Curry’s attorney attributed her actions to a gambling addiction, which allegedly began after her mother’s death in 2017. She lost a $100,000 inheritance within months and later spent over $700,000 of the embezzled funds gambling, visiting casinos almost daily. Efforts to self-ban from gambling establishments were reportedly unsuccessful.
Beyond gambling, she used the stolen money to buy luxury items, including a 2020 Ford F-150, a 2020 Kia Optima, a 2023 Nissan Maxima, and a 2023 Polaris RZR. Authorities seized these vehicles along with $117,867.49 across multiple bank accounts.
Curry was initially charged with wire fraud and money laundering, but under a plea deal, the money laundering charge was dropped. All seized assets have been forfeited as part of her sentencing.
