Reston Limousine Employee Faces Three Years in Prison for $130,000 Embezzlement

A former Reston Limousine employee accused of embezzling more than $130,000 for personal and recreational use was sentenced July 14 to three years in prison.

Judge Benjamin N. A. Kendrick of the Loudoun County Circuit Court sentenced Leonard Sampson, 40, to an active sentence of three years in the Virginia Department of Corrections for two counts of obtaining property by false pretense. Sampson pleaded guilty to the charges March 13.

Kendrick imposed an additional seven years suspended time for each charge, contingent upon Sampson’s good behavior and successful completion of seven years supervised probation upon his release from prison. Kendrick ordered Sampson to pay restitution in excess of $130,000 to the victims involved.

Sampson was found guilty on two counts of obtaining property by false pretense. According to court records, Sampson made more than $130,000 in charges to his Reston Limousine company credit card from January to November 2012. To justify the charges, Sampson falsified invoices and work orders for parts to be installed on vehicles owned by Reston Limousine, though the parts were never received or installed on any of the company’s vehicles.

An investigation into Sampson’s business records revealed that all charges were made to B&L Ducting and Install Master, a business started by Sampson. The money charged on Reston Limousine’s credit card was deposited into Sampson’s B&L Ducting and Install Master bank account, though no debits or charges on the account went toward purchasing auto parts or related materials. The only purchases and deductions from the business account were for personal and recreational expenditures, according to a report issued by the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office.

Sampson has a prior felony criminal conviction for grand larceny in Maryland.