MARION/U.S. DISTRICT COURT, BENTON—A resolution has been reached in the case of the former long-time Marion Water Department employee who entered a guilty plea back in May to stealing more than half a million dollars over three years.
Linda Heyde, who was caught on camera dropping money on the floor of the department, then nosing it into her purse with the toe of her shoe, this in early 2012, was issued a sentence yesterday (09.20.13) of two years in the Federal Bureau of Prisons for the crime of Embezzlement and Theft.
It’s unclear when exactly Heyde will begin serving the sentence, but Federal Bureau of Prisons records online show that she hasn’t been detained in any of their facilities yet.
The delay is likely attributed to a pre-sentencing investigation, which may take months to carry out.
It’s our understanding that the two-year sentence was part of a negotiated entry of a guilty plea back in May after Heyde entered a ‘not guilty’ plea early this year when the federal case was filed against her. The matter went fed because the water department of Marion is part of a unit of government (the city of Marion) that receives funds from federal sources in the course of their operations.
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