MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A children’s magazine from Memphis was swindled out of thousands of dollars by a former employee.
According to the Department of Justice, Katrina Sears of Horn Lake, Mississippi, pleaded guilty to obstruction of correspondence on Thursday after she stole checks that were intended for JabberBlabber, Inc.
As part of her duties, Sears would receive and open letters that sometimes contained checks. She was supposed to record the payments into Quickbooks, an accounting software, and then turn them over to other employees for deposit.
However, between December 2010 and February 2014, she didn’t do that.
Instead, Sears forged the payee line on more than 150 checks, deposited the money into her personal account, and then would return to work and edit the Quickbooks invoice.
In all, she is said to have embezzled more than $70,000.
Sears could face up to five years in prison and a fine up to $250,000.
She is scheduled to be back in court for sentencing on January 8, 2016.