Friday, July 10, 2009

Steal a pile of money, win a trip to jail? Maybe


From Virginia-

Money in and of itself isn't a bad thing.

Money — despite the old saw — is not the root of all evil.

Check your Scripture and you'll find that the root of all evil is the love of money.

Find yourself within easy reach of blank checks to somebody else's bank account and you never know if respect might slide into affection, could fall into infatuation, and before you know it topple madly into felony embezzlement.

Two local organizations recently learned this the hard way — Christ Episcopal Church in Smithfield and the Hampton- Newport News Community Services Board.

Both have a mission to help vulnerable populations. The poor, the needy, the infirm. Individuals and families with intellectual and developmental difficulties and/or substance abuse problems.

Both were ripped off by their own employees.

Both employees were sentenced recently.

Now one is in sitting behind bars for the next five years or so, while the other is at home with her loved ones.

Church secretary Debra Lee Epps, 51, copped a plea to multiple charges involving a pilfered $300,000.

Her original sentence was 50 years, but all but four years and eight months were suspended.

More here

http://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-local_tamara_0710jul10,0,4602398.column

1 comment:

Brad Evans said...

At least she hasn't claimed that "the patriarchal atmosphere in the church office was so overwhelming" that she stole as a way of compensating.
Remember the church treasurer-the NATIONAL church treasurer-who did that?