A 37-year-old in Minnesota has been sentenced by a US District Court to 51 months imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release for embezzlement of more than $2.7 million from her employer.
The amount embezzled was largely gambled away, with the money being used to fund her gambling habit.
Minnesota Fraudster Sentenced to 51 Months for Embezzling $2.7 Million https://t.co/b8OqLwskeC @SecretService
— U.S. Attorney MN (@DMNnews) September 17, 2025
Destiny McKayla Combs was the Accounting Manager for a surrogacy agency and affiliated law firm for around nine years, with her role meaning she was solely responsible for managing both companies’ finances, including taxes and financial statements.
“Combs treated her workplace like her own personal slot machine,” said Acting US Attorney Joseph H. Thompson. “Combs’s crime is part of a disturbing wave of fraud sweeping across Minnesota. From private companies to public programs, fraud has seeped into every corner of our state. We will continue to attack this fraud plague with everything we’ve got at the federal level.”
Minnesota woman accused of embezzlement over 52-month period
The woman had become a trusted member of the management team and in 2022, the company’s owner agreed to sell the surrogacy agency to Combs upon his retirement in 2023. When the sale date approached, it’s reported that Combs “abruptly quit and moved to Florida.”
Through an investigation, it was revealed that between February 2019 and June 2023, the employee had embezzled approximately $2.72 million from the businesses.
“Combs’s scheme was simple: she used personal credit cards to fund her gambling habit, then used company funds to pay her credit card bills,” the press release from the US Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota states.
“Combs stole the money to fuel her online gambling addiction. She made fraudulent entries in the companies’ books to disguise her credit card payments as business expenses, and exploited the trust and autonomy her company gave her to go undetected.”
Over the period of 52 months, she made around 292 payments from the company accounts to her personal American Express credit card, totaling $2,723,025.
Featured Image: Sherburne County Jail
