Trish Mehaffey, CR Gazette –
CEDAR RAPIDS – A former Alburnett city clerk received a 10-year suspended sentence and five years probation for embezzling more than $37,000 from the city between 2006 and 2009.
Amber Ransom, formerly Amber Franklin, 45, of Alburnett was sentenced Monday in Linn County District Court for first-degree theft. She pleaded guilty to the charge in February.
The state recommended probation for Ransom in exchange for her guilty plea and that she pay $37,013 in restitution to the city.
According to a state audit report, $102,980 was misappropriated during Ransom’s employment as the city clerk.
Mayor Dave Doesenberg read a victim’s impact statement during the sentencing but didn’t return a phone message left after the hearing.
Assistant Linn County Attorney Nic Scott said in February the $37,013 was an negotiated restitution amount in the plea agreement. Ransom agreed to cash out her city retirement account which will go directly to the city. After taxes, that will be around $8,000, and she will have the pay the rest while on probation, he said.
Scott said at the time of the plea hearing, the state audit showed more misappropriated funds but the $37,013 was an amount the state could prove she embezzled if the case had gone to trial.
At the plea hearing, Ransom admitted to embezzling that amount and claimed the rest was a result of improper or bad accounting methods.
Ransom also admitted to writing extra unauthorized payroll checks to herself, taking money out of petty cash and charging items to the city credit card for her personal use.
Ransom, employed from Jan. 1, 2006 to Dec. 2009, resigned after the mayor asked her to research public accounting firms that they could hire to audit the city’s finances.
According to the audit, Franklin paid herself $12,664 in unauthorized payroll and $2,709 for paid time off she wasn’t entitled to receive and $48,812 for which there was no explanation or support.
There also were improper disbursements of $6,071 of personal purchases Franklin made using the city’s credit card and $6,852 of personal purchases made with the city’s checking account, according to the audit. An additional $7,245 of checks were issued for petty cash.
