SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — The former Chief Operating and Financial Officer of the Taney County Health Department, Hugo Ricardo Huacuz, has been sentenced to four and a half years in federal prison after admitting to embezzling funds from the department.
Federal court records, summarized by the Branson Tri-Lakes News, show that Huacuz received his sentence in a Springfield federal courtroom on October 2.
Huacuz had previously pleaded guilty in February to multiple charges — including wire fraud, stealing federal funds, money laundering, and aggravated identity theft.
According to investigators, Huacuz created a fake company with his wife and submitted forged invoices that made it appear the health department was purchasing supplies from a pharmaceutical vendor. In reality, the money — totaling approximately $259,000 — was being funneled into Huacuz’s own accounts.
The court ordered the prison sentence as part of his conviction for defrauding public funds, marking the conclusion of a months-long federal investigation into the embezzlement scheme.
