00:00It takes a special kind of person to look someone right in the face day after day and steal out
00:05from under them like this.
00:06And that it continued for a course of more than a year.
00:09When this employee stole more than $20,000 from a small family business, the judge rejected a no-jail deal
00:15and sentenced her to six months in county jail.
00:17We're here for sentencing the high court misdemeanor of attempted larceny in a building.
00:22My client was having some personal difficulties and was taking money that didn't belong to her while she was employed.
00:29And a local employer here in town.
00:31She is currently in college trying to become a social worker.
00:35She feels just horrible about what happened.
00:37The theft of over $20,000 represents far more than a financial loss.
00:41It is a devastating blow to our small, local, family-owned business.
00:45Unlike a large corporation, we do not have vast reserves to absorb such a hit.
00:50It takes a special kind of person to look someone right in the face day after day and steal out
00:56from under them like this.
00:57This wasn't just a faceless crime.
00:58It was a deep, personal betrayal of the trust we extended to her as a member of our team.
01:04Her conduct since being caught is perhaps even more disturbing.
01:07We have provided the text messages sent by the defendant claiming that we did this to her
01:12and characterizing this case as a Hail Mary attempt to save a failing business.
01:16Side note, we are not failing.
01:18She is not sorry for the theft.
01:20She is only angry that she was caught.
01:22We just want her to admit that she's guilty, but she doesn't.
01:25She has not yet said she's guilty.
01:27We can prove it absolutely guaranteed.
01:29No doubt.
01:30No one argues we have all the evidence we possibly would want to convict her with any jury.
01:35Crime is not supposed to pay, but it seems like it does.
01:37This case was originally negotiated to a delay of sentence, which wouldn't involve any jail.
01:42And I refused to go along with that because I thought that your conduct did require jail.
01:47And I still think that despite the advisory guidelines of zero to six months, when you're stealing from a family
01:52business, you cause compounded harm.
01:55Those margins are really, really thin, you know, and it's disturbing this happened soon after you were employed and that
02:02it continued for a course of more than a year.
02:05And it was a pretty detailed laying out the manner.
02:08You're not just reaching in the till and taking money.
02:10You're carefully trying to kind of cover your tracks.
02:13That shows effort to engage in a deceptive practice over an extended period of time.
02:18People who are convicted of embezzling over $20,000 can face really significant incarceration, sometimes even prison.
02:26That was a path that was possible for you.
02:29It's good for the victims.
02:30The restitution of $22,640 has been paid today.
02:35You know, I'm assuming that that's not your efforts today.
02:38That's your support of your family.
02:40I hope you pay them back.
02:41Despite the restitution being paid, a probationary term is warranted.
02:45You'd be placed on probation for a term of 24 months.
02:49I'm going to order that you complete 200 hours of community service.
02:52And I am going to order that you serve six months in the Sheboyton County Jail.
