The Ramsey County Attorney's Office today charged former St. Paul Public Schools employee Sandra Jean Leis with one count of felony Theft by Swindle.
In in a criminal complaint, proscecutors allege that the 66 year old former employee stole more than $21,260 from the school system.
Leis is scheduled to make a first appearance in Ramsey County District Court on December 16, 2009.
According to the complaint, school district officials discovered after Leis retired in June of 2009 that she allegedly had falsified a checkbook register, and used a stamp signature of a supervisor's name to write 41 school district checks to herself between September 2005 and January 2009.
Investigators say she covered up the embezzlement by writing a different payee on the check register in the case of each check she wrote to herself. Follow-up revealed that all 41 checks had been deposited into Leis' account at US Bank.
After being questioned by St. Paul Police, Leis admitted she had written checks to herself without permission from her supervisors. Last week wrote a check to the school district for $15,000. That check is being held pending the outcome of the case.
(Copyright 2009 by KARE. All Rights Reserved.)
