A Dallas County jury convicted Lieu Bich Phan of third-degree theft for taking $44,525 from her employer, Five Star Correctional Services, and the judge sentenced her to 65 years in prison.
Phan, who worked as an account clerk for a company that provides food services to county jails, illegally obtained business credit cards and linked them to her personal PayPal accounts. She fled on the second day of the trial and was convicted in absentia.
During sentencing, evidence included Phan’s 26-year criminal history and 12 charges for which she was under supervision in Denton County under the Interstate Compact. She had been on parole for forgery and other offenses. Prosecutors identified several frauds, including faking pregnancies, falsifying deaths, and soliciting funds through internet forums.
The case was led by DA Melinda Chaney, with Andrea Ingram serving as second chair, and was assisted by investigators Hoyt Hoffman, Alexander Lipsey, Alex Pinales, and Garrick Whaley, as well as forensic financial expert DeAnna Debenport. The Dallas Police Department, led by Detective Ryan McCarrick, carried out the investigation.
Phan is still at large on an ongoing arrest warrant issued by the 194th Judicial District Court.