SC woman stole $860K from Rock Hill employer, spent it on TikTok gifts and bills
A woman who stole more than $860,000 from her Rock Hill employer over several years and spent it on TikTok gifts and more has been sentenced to seven years in a South Carolina prison.
Leigh Flynt Kohn, 44, pleaded guilty Monday in York County criminal court to breach of trust and income tax evasion after stealing the money from Horne Label & Printing from 2019 to 2025. She spent the “insane” amount of money on the online gifts over the TikTok app, house and car payments, and personal bills and expenses, prosecutor Emily Ford said.
Not only did she take the money, she spent every dime, court testimony showed.
York County Judge Bill McKinnon asked if any of the money was left and Kohn said: “It’s all gone.”
McKinnon gave her seven years plus two years probation after prison after prosecutors and Kohn’s lawyer agreed to a cap of eight years. He said he dropped a year from the max because Kohn agreed to plead guilty to spare the victims a trial, and Kohn has no previous criminal record.
Prosecutor: “staggering” amount of money stolen
Kohn was in charge of paying vendors and other financial duties at the business, which suffered huge losses because of her actions, said Ford, the prosecutor. Kohn worked at the company for 17 years and took a “staggering” amount of money, Ford said.
“This went on month after month, year after year,” Ford told McKinnon in asking for the full eight years prison. “She was someone who was respected and treated as part of the family.”
Company founder Don Horne, who started the business in 1983, died in April after a battle with leukemia, court testimony showed. Kohn’s actions hurt the business and the Horne family, according to prosecutors and the family.
Company president Robbie Horne told Judge McKinnon that Kohn stole from not just the company, but the people who worked there.
“She took money from our families that we will never get back,” Robbie Horne said.
Kohn was arrested by the Rock Hill Police Department then charged later by state officials over her taxes. Kohn did not report “illicit income” on 2023 and 2024 tax returns, said S.C. Department of Revenue prosecutor Katryna Owens.
Apology for stealing money
Kohn said she was sorry in court.
“I cannot apologize enough for the harm I have caused the Hornes,” she said.
Her lawyer, Katherine Christenbury, said Kohn pleaded guilty “to take accountability for her actions.”
