Ex-Manager Pleads Guilty to Embezzling $1.5M from MSJ

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – In a stunning turn of events, Kim Cooper, 55, the former office manager of Mountain State Justice (MSJ), has pleaded guilty to embezzling over $1.5 million from the non-profit organization that aids indigent and low-income West Virginia residents in civil cases.

Cooper, who began her employment at MSJ’s Charleston office in the late 1990s, admitted to opening a secret money market account under the guise of MSJ. She then systematically stole checks intended for attorney fees, depositing them into the clandestine account and using the funds for personal expenses.

According to federal prosecutors, Cooper hid her crimes by omitting these stolen funds from the organization’s cash logs and by concealing incoming mail. She also provided false income statements to the board of directors, drastically underreporting MSJ’s actual income. Her deceitful scheme unraveled in late March 2016, following an interview with federal law enforcement agents.

Cooper faces up to 25 years in federal prison when she is sentenced on April 20, 2017. As part of her plea agreement, she has agreed to pay $1,462,023.83 back to MSJ and $377,776.89 to the United States.

The investigation into Cooper’s embezzlement was conducted by the FBI and IRS – Criminal Investigation division. Philip H. Wright, First Assistant United States Attorney, is handling the prosecution, with United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr., presiding over the plea hearing.

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