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A former manager of a nonprofit veterinary clinic in Barboursville, West Virginia, pleaded guilty in federal court to a money laundering charge tied to an embezzlement scheme that he said was driven by online gambling addiction. Jerod Timothy Vannatter, 43, admitted stealing $624,599.86 from Help for Animals and said all of the proceeds were lost through gambling.
According to the case record summarized by Casino.org, Vannatter pleaded guilty on Sept. 28 to a single federal money laundering count connected to one $20,000 transfer made on Oct. 11, 2023. He admitted he knew the money came from his fraud against the clinic.
How prosecutors said the money was taken
Vannatter managed Help for Animals from approximately February 2018 until February 2025 and oversaw payroll and vendor payments. Beginning around October 2022, he exploited that control to divert clinic money into his own bank account, according to the source.
He admitted issuing numerous payroll checks and other unearned payments to himself. He also created bogus vendor invoices, arranged for the clinic to pay them, and directed those funds into his personal checking account.
In a signed statement in the plea agreement, Vannatter said: “I initiated and continued my embezzlement scheme because I was addicted to online gambling.” He also stated, “All of the proceeds from my embezzlement have been lost through gambling.”
What happens next in the case
Under the plea agreement, Vannatter agreed to pay $624,599.86 in restitution and to cooperate with authorities in identifying assets that could compensate the clinic. He faces up to 10 years in federal prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 16, 2027.
The source does not identify which gambling sites were used, and court documents cited in the report do not say whether the gambling took place with licensed West Virginia operators or offshore platforms.
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Source: As reported by casino.org.
