Kari Sue Clark-Branton, 39, of Delavan, Wisconsin, pleaded not guilty to charges she embezzled more than $800,000 from the home building company she worked for, Home Design Manufacturing of Walworth Township, Wisconsin. She served as a bookkeeper, responsible for accounts payable and receivable, since she was hired in 1992. According to the criminal complaint, Clark-Branton is accused of writing checks to herself and to a friend's company, Blue Hills Lippitt Morgans, over a period between 2001 and 2008. She is charged with 2 felony charges of "business theft" and 30 misdemeanor charges of forgery. Clark-Branton claims she overpaid herself in salary and bonuses and that she wanted her friend, Joanne Anderson, who also left the company after making unauthorized charges, realize her lifelong dream of owning a horse farm, according to police investigators.
Read the story here and here.
Update (11/3/11): A new criminal defendant, Joanne M. Anderson, 48, of Exeland, Wisconsin, has now been charged with receiving $413,507 from her friend, Clark-Branton in this case. Faudulent checks in that amount were written out to Blue Hills Lippitt Morgans, Anderson's company. Clark-Branton pleaded guilty to felony theft and 30 counts of forgery in 2009 and was sentenced to 30 months in prison. She was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $960,000.
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3 comments:
Apparently it does pay to steal in Walworth County. Judge Carlson only gave her 2.5 years and right before he sentenced her he went on to mention how wonderful her father was and the great contributions her family made to the county. I think it is pretty sad that she gets off the hook because her family history. I don't care if her parents were saints, it does not negate the fact that she stole nearly a million dollars from Mr. Sjoberg. Apparently in Walworth County it is all about who you know.
I agree.....the last time I checked one of the ten commandments was - THOU SHALT NOT STEAL
I went to school with this woman... I was stunned. Her poor mother (who I know, and know she did NOT raise her child to do something like this) is beyond mortified by her daughter's behavior. It's so unbelievable. And she was just hanging out on Facebook like she wasn't a total criminal!
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