Jeanette Kay Sturtz was sentenced last Wednesday to 30 days community service and 15 days house arrest after pleading guilty to embezzling funds from two former employers. In total, Sturtz stole in excess of $35,000 from the homeowner’s association and landscaping company where she previously held jobs.
Prosecutors contend that from September 2010 to September 2011 Sturtz embezzled more than $25,000 from Blue Sky Landscape Service where she was employed as a financial controller. In November her employer discovered 57 fraudulent checks from company accounts that had been made payable to Sturtz. Also found were two other checks that had been made payable to non-business related cable and power bills.
Sturtz, 57, was also charged in 2011 with stealing over $10,600 from the homeowner’s association where she held the position of treasurer. The charges were eventually dismissed under an El Cid diversion program after it was determined that she paid back the stolen money. Prosecutors believe that the money stolen from Blue Sky Landscape Service may have been used to pay off court-ordered restitution related to this homeowner’s association theft.
In the declaration of probable cause for this case, deputy prosecutor Lisa Wagner noted that the thefts from Blue Sky Landscape Service correspond with the ending of Sturtz’s homeowner’s association theft.
Since Jeanette Sturtz entered a plea of guilty to two counts of theft in the first degree, prosecutors agreed to recommend she be sentenced as a first- time offender. Twelve charges of forgery were also dismissed from this case.
If you find yourself facing federal fraud charges, it is important to find an experienced embezzlement attorney to represent you. The white collar attorneys of Parkman & White, LLC have a history of success in the court room and are ready to represent clients nationwide.