Pamela Spracklen Smith was arrested in connection with a $40,000 loss at Louisiana's Montgomery Tank. Investigators say the firm paid a vendor's invoice before learning the vendor's email was compromised; KALB reports she faces four felony counts.
Grant Parish Sheriff Steven McCain said investigators traced the money from Louisiana to Alabama. ATM footage allegedly showed Smith making multiple cash withdrawals, and McCain said some proceeds were transferred into Bitcoin accounts. Deputies took Smith into custody in Decatur and returned her to Louisiana. A Grant Parish court record lists case 2026-CR-612, filed Sept. 18, 2026, with theft of $25,000 or more and computer fraud with intent to obtain; Smith is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The FBI describes invoice requests that appear to come from known business contacts as business email compromise. It advises firms to confirm changed payment details through a second channel, using contact information already on file rather than numbers supplied in the payment email.
