A former bookkeeper for Dupo School District 196 has been sentenced to 15 months’ incarceration for embezzling from the district.
Linda J. Johnson, 58, of Waterloo, was employed by the district from 1993 to 2022. She was accused of pocketing $135,566.80 in cash that she was supposed to deposit in a school district bank account to support student athletics, clubs and other extracurricular activities.
A federal court filing from the U.S. Attorney’s Office states that Johnson made two sets of deposit slips: one kept at the school district with the correct amount of cash and checks received for the extracurriculars, and another, phony set of deposit slips that only listed checks, which she gave the bank while she kept the cash.
A comparison of the deposit slips at the school district and those delivered to the bank revealed 165 fraudulent transactions, according to the court document. It states that Johnson admitted taking cash for personal expenses when her supervisor confronted her.
Johnson pleaded guilty in October to one count of theft from a federally funded program.
Judge Stephen P. McGlynn of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois handed down the sentence on Thursday. Of the 15 months’ incarceration, Johnson will be required to serve three months in prison and 12 additional months in community confinement. She will also be required to pay restitution to Dupo School District 196 and the Ohio Casualty Insurance Company.
Johnson’s attorneys did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.
Editor's note: This story was originally published by the Belleville News-Democrat, a news partner of St. Louis Public Radio.
