Washtenaw County Circuit Court employee charged with embezzlement
A Washtenaw County Circuit Court employee is accused of embezzling at least $1,000 from the court during the past year, county sheriff's deputies said.
Kimberly Ann Elmer, 36, of Bridgewater Township, was arraigned Monday morning at 14A District Court on charges of embezzlement by a public officer of more than $50, embezzlement of more than $999, but less than $20,000 and two counts of stealing or retaining a financial transaction device without consent.
Elmer, who investigators say is an assistant to the Washtenaw County Trial Court administrator, was released on a promise to appear in court.
Sheriff's department spokesman Sgt. Thomas Pennington said Elmer is accused of taking benefit cards designated to pay jurors and using those cards at court ATMs on East Huron Street to withdraw money for herself. Jurors' personal information was not compromised, he said.
"She was discovered when fellow employees got suspicious of her because she was going to the internal ATMs quite frequently," Pennington said.
Pennington said he could not be more specific about how much money Elmer allegedly stole. "The investigation is ongoing," he said.
During Monday's arraignment, Elmer told Magistrate Camille Horne that she started a job Aug. 23 and expects to make about $350 each week, but didn't elaborate.
Washtenaw County Assistant Public Defender Ronald Brown, who was appointed to represent Elmer, asked that Elmer be released on a promise to appear. He said she turned herself in Monday morning, has family in the area and strong ties to the community.
According to county and federal court records, Elmer is a divorced mother of one, who filed for bankruptcy in February 2008. Bankruptcy records show that at one point she was working as a security coordinator for the county. In her most recent position, she was paid roughly $35,000 annually, records show.
Diane Heidt, the county's human resources director, didn't return phone calls seeking comment on Elmer's employment status.
If convicted of embezzlement by a public officer, Elmer faces up to 10 years in prison.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 7.
Lee Higgins covers crime and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached by phone at (734) 623-2527 and email at leehiggins@annarbor.com.
Comments
KJMClark
Thu, Sep 1, 2011 : 11:36 a.m.
Geez, the bankers got away with much more than that, and they're still collecting their bonuses every year. Just goes to show, it's the small-time white collar criminals that get punished. The big-time white collar criminals get bailed out at the public expense. I'd vote for the top 5% at the big banks getting twenty times any jail sentence this woman gets.
Steiner
Wed, Aug 31, 2011 : 3:02 p.m.
@ Sallyxyz , I said why shouldn't she keep her NEW job, it does not state she is still working for the county, wouldn't you rather see the money returned. Her actions are not acceptable however crime occurs all the time and I agree there should be no excuse for any of them, however maybe something really awful did happen, you can't stretch your imagination for one minute to see how it could happen? There are plenty of murderers and child abusers in society; should we raise the bar a bit and state they have no excuses. There is an opportunity for restitution in this case. How does one make amends for a death or mental anguish?
Fredric
Wed, Aug 31, 2011 : 4:15 p.m.
your right, crime does occur all the time and the reason is that no one takes is seriously. If these people were punished and taught a serious lesson that this is not allowed in society, then maybe some of the crimes would stop!!
arborani
Wed, Aug 31, 2011 : 2:32 p.m.
@ Gorc and dfossil: *Again*, the amount taken is clearly described as "more than $999, but less than $20,000." Quite a range of possiblities.
dfossil
Wed, Aug 31, 2011 : 3:58 a.m.
Unfortunately ALL organizations are vulnerable to employee malfeasance. Most security is directed to guard against outsiders, not insiders. That is why the penalties are so much harsher for these crimes, I mean she faces "10 years" for $1000. theft. That's pretty stiff. Of course, most of the embezzlers don't pay much back, Like our former Librarian Auditor and others who have been caught with their hand in the cookie jar!
Sallyxyz
Wed, Aug 31, 2011 : 3:04 a.m.
"If convicted of embezzlement by a public officer, Elmer faces up to 10 years in prison." Not to worry, if Melinda Morris is the judge, she'll get 10 days of probation. Oh, where's the photo of the perp? Once again, it's not posted with the article. Why?
Marilyn Wilkie
Wed, Aug 31, 2011 : 2:11 a.m.
Embezzlers rarely receive harsh punishments and they know it. All that does is encourage more embezzlement. It seems to me it is usually a trusted office person , interestingly female, who gets away with this stuff for a period of time. Stealing is wrong. Why are commenters defending it?
monroe c
Wed, Aug 31, 2011 : 1:09 a.m.
It's disgusting that, after drawing her salary from the county pot and presumably embezzling benefit cards from the county pot, she is once again dipping into the county pot with the appointment of a public defender. She's really getting her tax money's worth!
djacks24
Wed, Aug 31, 2011 : 5:38 p.m.
I think you mean she's getting our tax moneys worth.
Chris 8 - YPSI PRIDE
Wed, Aug 31, 2011 : 12:20 a.m.
I am in need of a good paying stable job. I have good clerical skills and worked with the public all my life. Where do I apply for this new opening?
Gorc
Tue, Aug 30, 2011 : 11:53 p.m.
What a moron....stealing less then $1,000, just to lose a $35,000 job.
Roadman
Tue, Aug 30, 2011 : 9:23 p.m.
Congratulations to the authorities for investigating and bringing a criminal case against this circuit court employee. However, it is imporant to stress that Ms. Elmer is entitled to a presumption of innocence. The political action committee People Against Corruption has been chronicling alleged corruption at the county level, especially the circuit court, for years in its Ann Arbor Buzz website at <a href="http://www.a2buzz.org" rel='nofollow'>www.a2buzz.org</a> I hope more information about this story continues in the media. I thank Lee Higgins and annarbor.com for its coverage of this most serious matter.
mrshicks2000
Tue, Aug 30, 2011 : 8:35 p.m.
Seems like folks are stealing a lot more now to survive in this economy. Then you have random people on here judging them. It's crazy. It's obvious those who are talking about this person being the "chosen one" must have worked with her and didn't care for her much. Whew...good thing they're perfect! LOL Prayers to her and her family for having to go through this publicly. I couldn't imagine my indiscretions being put on blast.
Inquiring Mind
Tue, Aug 30, 2011 : 11:18 p.m.
mrshicks, i would consider myself honest which is certainly not the only avenue to perfection. honesty and perfection are apples and oranges. one is quite manageable while the other is nearly impossible. when you work for the public and you steal from the public, you should expect to be tried before the public.
Jennifer Betzhold
Tue, Aug 30, 2011 : 9:38 p.m.
we don't know all the story maybe said child was sick and the insurance did not cover it. maybe a family member is down on there luck with there children. just saying do not judge on little or no facts. till you know the whole story you do not know her reasons. that is not saying I agree with her choice to get said money but untill I know the whole story I will not judge.
cinnabar7071
Tue, Aug 30, 2011 : 8:59 p.m.
"But who are we to judge." mrshicks2000 We are the people she stole from, and she had a good job so your " survive in this economy" defence doesn't make sense.
mrshicks2000
Tue, Aug 30, 2011 : 8:38 p.m.
P.S. What she did was wrong...on all levels. But who are we to judge.
Elaine F. Owsley
Tue, Aug 30, 2011 : 8:10 p.m.
How many of this kind of crime have we had? Seems like the embezzlement flavor of the month and the ladies are winning, if there is a competition. One can only hope that the discovery rate is keeping pace with the crime rate.
aanative
Tue, Aug 30, 2011 : 7:54 p.m.
Kitty's idea of a 'mistake' is our society's understanding of repeated criminal acts. I'm concerned that this embezzler is raising her child to be as morally bankrupt.
Inquiring Mind
Tue, Aug 30, 2011 : 11:08 p.m.
She worked in the Court system Kitty, you know, the place where criminals go to be tried for their "mistakes". She had a pretty good handle on right from wrong - no excuses!!
Kitty
Tue, Aug 30, 2011 : 7:16 p.m.
maybe now they will see the need to give her a raise
Kitty
Tue, Aug 30, 2011 : 7:15 p.m.
She was discovered when fellow employees got suspicious of her because she was going to the internal ATMs quite frequently," Pennington said. dang girl, next time use the ATM down the street, LOL
TruBlue
Tue, Aug 30, 2011 : 8 p.m.
As a former juror I can tell you that those cards only work in the ATM in the court house. You would have better accountability on these cards.
Kitty
Tue, Aug 30, 2011 : 7:13 p.m.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmm so whaaaaaaaaaaaaat, this is just horrible, got all of her business like that, there is no need to announce this, she made a mistake, just take the $999 out her check over the next three months, leave her alone, there are more criminals out there to be caught
arborani
Tue, Aug 30, 2011 : 8:25 p.m.
The amount in question is OVER $999 but under $20,000. Please read the story again.
RJA
Tue, Aug 30, 2011 : 6:42 p.m.
Congrats to those fellow employees that acted on suspicious activity.
trespass
Tue, Aug 30, 2011 : 6:22 p.m.
It seems like there have been several recent stories of embezzlement from local governments, schools and Universities. Doesn't that call into question the financial controls at these institutions. It seems like the local McDonald's or Starbucks have better financial controls than our public institutions. Maybe our public fincancial managers need some training in setting up such systems.
Grimey
Wed, Aug 31, 2011 : 8:13 p.m.
Nah, the local McDonald's or Starbucks have employees stealing from them all the time -aaallllllll the time. They just keep it under wraps - why would they report it to the news? These corporations have guidelines they follow regarding these sorts of thefts and #1 is to keep it as quiet as possible. It'd make them look bad. Thank you Washtenaw County for being transparent about this situation. It is our (the taxpayers) money that's being stolen and we should know about it. And thank you A2dot com for reporting it.
clownfish
Wed, Aug 31, 2011 : 12:47 p.m.
Places without alleges "better controls" A2 hockey A2 Lexus Best Buy The Vitamin Shoppe. Is it too much to ask that people have their facts straight before posting?
johnnya2
Tue, Aug 30, 2011 : 8:20 p.m.
Those controls you seem are what get them arrested. A Starbucks will usually not press charges, they fire people who steal and move on. They do not have the time, nor effort to prosecute. They also have the added problem of being sued if they are wrong. There are all kinds of cases of private embezzlement as well. Remember the AA Hockey Club. If somebody wants to steal badly enough, they will get away with it for a little while, BUT they eventually will get caught.
Cash
Tue, Aug 30, 2011 : 7:25 p.m.
trepass, You make an excellent point.
Ellen J. Clement
Tue, Aug 30, 2011 : 7:01 p.m.
I think the difference is at least partly due to the increased openness of public institutions. No reason you would hear about a private company incident.
nickcarraweigh
Tue, Aug 30, 2011 : 5:56 p.m.
If ever a crime story cried out for a mug shot, this is it.
Sallyxyz
Wed, Aug 31, 2011 : 3:07 a.m.
I totally agree. Why does AA dot com rarely post photos with crime articles? This is standard journalism. Very annoying.
Steiner
Tue, Aug 30, 2011 : 6:19 p.m.
Really, why? It doesn't seem that awful? Hot Sauce Mom seemed more deserving of a mug shot.
Steiner
Tue, Aug 30, 2011 : 5:02 p.m.
Astonishing insight on trust, I suppose qualifications and skills are overrated. Shouldn't we hope she is permitted to keep her new job, perhaps it will allow her to pay back the county?
Ricebrnr
Wed, Aug 31, 2011 : 4:13 p.m.
Please read the comment again. I stated ONE of the things. Not THE thing. I should hope skills and qualifications would be a given as other than gov't entitlement jobs in New York City, I'm not accustomed to people without such things getting or keeping jobs.
Sallyxyz
Wed, Aug 31, 2011 : 3:12 a.m.
Allow her to keep her job if convicted of embezzlement? I don't think so. With so many honest, qualified and unemployed people out there, a convicted criminal doesn't deserve to keep her job. She made her choices, broke the law (if convicted), and needs to pay the consequences, which includes termination of employment. Many many people unfortunately have to declare bankruptcy and don't turn to criminal behavior. There is no excuse for this kind of crime.
Inquiring Mind
Tue, Aug 30, 2011 : 4:35 p.m.
And she was one of the "chosen ones." Hmmmm.............
Craig Lounsbury
Tue, Aug 30, 2011 : 4:26 p.m.
"She was discovered when fellow employees got suspicious of her because she was going to the internal ATMs quite frequently," Pennington said." maybe she should have worn a disguise?
Ricebrnr
Tue, Aug 30, 2011 : 4:11 p.m.
hmmm, now that this is out, how likely is she to keep that new job? Trust is one of the first things you must have to gain and keep any position...
Ricebrnr
Wed, Aug 31, 2011 : 1:02 a.m.
trust is not exclusive to "valuables" It does include: Trust that you will do your job Trust that you will come to work every day for the hours you are paid for. And access to cash or valuables. Do you think she'll work with a computer? What kind of trouble would access into a business' systems produce? Better hope it's not medical related. Their billing systems have more than enough info to steal LOTS of identities. How about the computers themselves?
AfterDark
Tue, Aug 30, 2011 : 8:52 p.m.
It depends upon the nature of the job. Not all jobs put employees in a position where they have access to cash or valuables.