Court clerk gets probation for theft
Last Modified: Tuesday, April 17, 2012 1:32 PM
By Doris Maricle / American Press
A former Oakdale City Court clerk was given a suspended sentence and was placed on probation for diverting more than $80,000 in court funds for personal use over a two-year period.
Christy Stapleton, 32, was sentenced to a suspended 10-year prison term and placed on five years’ probation after pleading guilty to theft.
She has agreed to make full restitution, said Amanda Larkins, a spokeswoman for the state Attorney General’s Office.
Stapleton has already paid $25,000 and is expected to pay $30,000 within 60 days, Larkins said. The remainder will be paid over the next five years.
A state audit report released last June said more than $80,000 in court revenue was unaccounted for.
The Legislative Auditor’s Office findings noted that Stapleton was dismissed after admitting to diverting $1,546 for her own use.
The report said Stapleton directed court employees to pay for her personal expenses — including auto detailing and cosmetics — using money from the cash drawer.
Stapleton was given an opportunity to respond to the state’s findings, but declined in a letter from her attorney, Charles G. Gravel of Baton Rouge.
The report said that between Jan. 1, 2008, and July 28, 2010, $25,618 was received but not deposited. It said $54,974 appeared to have been posted to the computer system and was later deleted from the system and not deposited.
The Attorney General’s Office took over the case after Allen Parish District Attorney Todd Nesom recused his office.
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