Coverage spread: 2 sources — 2 unrated
Lean ratings via AllSides / Media Bias-Fact-Check. How this works.
Where they agree
- Mark Latham, 61, a Scottsdale finance director, was sentenced to 6 1/2 years in federal prison for wire fraud.
- He stole more than $10.7 million from his employer, Performance Software Corporation, and must repay that amount.
- The scheme ran from March 2009 to about January 2025.
- He spent stolen money on Super Bowl LVII tickets costing nearly $39,000.
Where they differ
- AZFamily details how Latham hid the fraud, including altering bank statements and giving himself unapproved bonuses; 12 News does not mention these mechanics.
- 12 News highlights over $29,000 spent on Taylor Swift concert tickets, a detail absent from AZFamily’s report.
- AZFamily provides broader context on the case including payments for a relative’s apartment and luxury hotel stays; 12 News’ report is limited to the ticket purchases.
Mark Latham, 61, a Scottsdale man who worked as finance director for Performance Software Corporation, was sentenced Monday to 6 1/2 years in federal prison for stealing more than $10.7 million from his employer over roughly 16 years. He pleaded guilty to wire fraud and must pay back the full amount he stole.
How did Latham steal the money?
Federal prosecutors said Latham used his access to the company’s bank account, starting in March 2009 and continuing until about January 2025, to pay off his personal credit card charges directly with company funds. He also gave himself bonuses that were never approved, paid for a relative’s apartment, and transferred company money straight into his own personal bank account. To cover his tracks, prosecutors said he altered the company’s bank statements to erase any trace of the payments going to himself.
What did he spend the stolen money on?
Court records cited by prosecutors show Latham used the money to fund a lifestyle built around luxury travel and live events. He spent nearly $39,000 on tickets to Super Bowl LVII, which was played in Glendale, Arizona. He also spent more than $29,000 on tickets to a Taylor Swift concert. Beyond those big-ticket purchases, prosecutors said the stolen funds also went toward luxury hotel stays and other sporting events over the course of the scheme.
What was the outcome in court?
Latham was sentenced Monday to six and a half years in federal prison after admitting to wire fraud. As part of the sentence, he is required to pay restitution of more than $10.7 million to Performance Software Corporation, his former employer. The sentencing closes out a case that spanned nearly a decade and a half of undetected theft from the company.
How does the coverage compare?
Local outlets covering the case draw on the same federal prosecution details but differ in which spending details they foreground. AZFamily’s account gives the fuller picture of the scheme’s mechanics — the altered bank statements, the unapproved bonuses, the relative’s apartment — while emphasizing the Super Bowl tickets as the signature extravagance. 12 News’ brief item instead highlights the Taylor Swift concert tickets as an additional splurge, a detail not mentioned in the AZFamily report, giving a fuller sense of the range of purchases Latham made with the stolen funds.
Why the case matters
The case is a stark example of long-running internal embezzlement going undetected inside a company because the person responsible for financial oversight — the finance director — was also the one manipulating the books. The 16-year span of the fraud underscores how altered bank statements and a position of financial trust let the theft continue for years before it was caught. The size of the theft, over $10.7 million, and the nature of the spending, on entertainment and luxury experiences rather than necessities, are likely to stand out to the public and reinforce scrutiny of internal financial controls at private companies.
Sources
Featured photo: Tony the Marine (talk) via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)