Gabriel Ruiz De Chavez, 47, of Fresno, was sentenced Tuesday to two years and nine months in federal prison after orchestrating an eight-year embezzlement scheme that stole more than $1.5 million from his employer, the DOJ said in a news release.

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Ruiz De Chavez, who had worked as an operations manager for a local trucking company, exploited his trusted position to carry out the fraud from 2012 to 2019.

Over the course of those years, he created over 600 fake invoices, falsely attributing them to legitimate vendors for goods and services. He would then deposit the funds into his own personal bank account.

Once the money was in his account, Ruiz De Chavez used it to pay off personal expenses, including credit card bills, mortgage payments, and car loans. He also took vacations and made cash withdrawals.

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His position at the company allowed him to continue the scheme unnoticed, as his role gave him the authority to generate and approve the fake invoices without suspicion.

The scheme ultimately drained $1,561,000 from his employer. Ruiz De Chavez’s actions were exposed after a joint investigation by the FBI and the Fresno Police Department.

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In addition to his prison sentence, Ruiz De Chavez was ordered to pay full restitution for the stolen funds.