Former accountant gets probation for embezzling up to $300,000 from Texas HVAC contractor

An HVAC contractor in East Texas was a victim of embezzlement — by his accountant. 

What’s happening: Donna Moore, former accountant at Air Chandler in Chandler, Texas, has been sentenced to 10 years of probation after pleading guilty to stealing as much as $300,000 from the company over a six-year period, a local news outlet reported Tuesday. 

Catch up quick: In July 2025, owner Mike Chandler suspected that his accountant was stealing funds and turned over financial records to the Henderson County District Attorney’s Office.

• Moore, then 53, was arrested on felony theft charges that September. 
• In an arrest affidavit, a Chandler Police Department officer stated that between Jan. 1, 2019 and Feb. 7, 2025, Moore had “adjusted her pay, without consent, receiving unapproved wages. Moore also obtained a company credit card that she used for unauthorized charges.”

What they’re saying: “[It] took me four months of hard work, 24 hours a day, to save my business from going into bankruptcy because of this woman,” Chandler, whose business has operated in the area for about 20 years, told a local TV station in 2025. “The very same people that I help and give and do so much for, were stealing me blind the whole time.”

• Following Moore’s sentencing, Chandler told the station that he’d been struggling to recover, with the hardest part being “catching up on past bills, making sure your account stays open, the things you got to do as a businessperson right away to make sure that your business can still stay operable.” 
• However, he added, he’s thankful for the support he’s received, describing [the town of] Chandler as “a really good community with a lot of people that support you” and noting that the company is growing. “It seems like we add more to our bottom line, to the bottom dollar.”

Reached by phone, Chandler declined to comment further.