A former Jasper School District employee has been sentenced to two years and six months in federal prison for embezzling more than $145,000 from the district.
Karla Justice, 56, of Columbus, Kan., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to two years and six months in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Justice to pay $145,726 in restitution.
On Feb. 7, 2018, Justice pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of credit card fraud. Justice admitted that she embezzled a total of $145,726 from the school district over a three-year period from September 2013 to September 2016.
According to court documents, Justice’s fraudulent scheme not only bled the school district of essential resources, her actions aggravated the financial distress of the district as well. Justice’s fraud and embezzlement had grown to the point that the school district’s reserve account was all but entirely drained, while teaching positions were eliminated, salaries were capped and cut, programs were eliminated or reduced, and children were denied essential educational resources.
The investigation revealed that Justice paid herself $80,858 in additional payroll above and beyond the amount allowed under her employment contract. As a result of the fraudulently received payroll, Justice also received an additional $6,731 in employer retirement contributions and $6,530 in Social Security and Medicare contributions that she would not have received otherwise.
The investigation also discovered numerous transactions involving the petty cash account, including checks and E-checks that totaled $13,929 in transactions that were conducted by Justice to pay for personal expenses that were unrelated to the activities of the district, and were not authorized by the district.
Karla Justice, a former head bookkeeper, payroll secretary, superintendent secretary, and board secretary for the Jasper R-5 School District, was employed by the school district from 2009 until her resignation on Sept. 22, 2016.
Mandatory Facts:
Defendant/Respondent: Karla Justice
Criminal Charges: One count of wire fraud and one count of credit card fraud
City and State: Springfield, Missouri
Date: February 7, 2018
Sentence: Two years and six months in federal prison without parole, $145,726 in restitution
Dollar Amounts: $145,726 in restitution, $80,858 in additional payroll, $6,731 in employer retirement contributions, $6,530 in Social Security and Medicare contributions, $13,929 in petty cash transactions, $2,133 in Home Depot credit card purchases
Key Facts
- State: Missouri
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
