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Former Kentwood Clerk Admits to Embezzling More than $100,000

Posted at 8:41 PM, Sep 24, 2013
and last updated 2013-09-24 20:41:29-04

deborah salmon cut from fpcgKENTWOOD, Mich. — A former Kentwood clerk admitted Monday to stealing more than $100,000 from the Parks and Recreation Department.

Forty-eight-year-old Deborah Salmon pleaded guilty to embezzlement, and Kent County Prosecutors will recommend between 12 and 20 months of jail time.  However, Salmon could face a maximum of 20 years when she is sentenced on Nov. 7.

Salmon worked for the Parks and Recreation Department at the front counter for more than 15 years.  Officials say she embezzled more than $300,000 for almost eight of those years.  The Kentwood finance department tracked false financial statements back to Salmon, and she initially confessed to taking $7,000.

It soon became apparent that much more money was missing, however.  Officials estimate that roughly $140,000 was missing between March 2010 and March 2013, and more from as far back as 2005.