Authorities: Chatham woman embezzled nearly $1M from business

Cheryl Rouse Fields, 65, of Goldston, was charged Monday with felony embezzlement and felony corporate malfeasance and was released on a promise to appear in court.

Basic Machinery Company, in Siler City, notified the Chatham County Sheriff's Office in March of suspected embezzlement after an internal audit uncovered inconsistencies in documentation. An investigation determined that Fields, who oversaw the company's payroll as administrative manager, had routinely overpaid herself for at least 10 years, accumulating more than $900,000 in improper payments, authorities said.