US : INK-THEFT WOMAN GETS PROBATION

[Anonymous]

http://www.wctrib.com/event/article/id/66772/
U.S.: INK-THEFT WOMAN GETS PROBATION
Woman sentenced to probation, fine in fraudulent ink
return case
WILLMAR — Kelly Marie
Lipinski, 41, of Willmar, was sentenced Monday to five years of
probation and ordered to pay $1,000 in fines on two felony theft charges
for making false ink cartridge re-turns at a local office supply store
and pocketing the money.

According to court records, Lipinski
already paid $5,776.67 in restitution on April 13. As part of her
sentence handed down in Kandiyohi County District Court, she was ordered
to attend a victim impact panel and a property crime impact panel,
ordered to write a letter of apology and ordered not to enter Office Max
in Willmar.As part of a plea agreement, another felony theft charge was
dismissed. Lipinski received a stay of imposition on her sentence,
under which the felony convictions could be reduced to misdemeanors if
she complies with the terms of her sentence.

The charges were
filed in September after Office Max loss prevention personnel contacted
Willmar police and reported there were an unusually high number of
returns of cash refunds at the local store recorded as made by
Lipinski.The majority of the sales were for ink cartridges, which
typically were not re-inventoried because they are usually opened when
returned. Office Max officials had tracked down a customer who had
purportedly made a return, logged by Lipinski. The person denied making
the return.

The officials had already interviewed Lipinski, who
admitted to making the false returns, then taking cash refunds at the
end of her shift. She reported the theft was of $3,682.04 on 44 returns
this year, and about $4,800 last year. She had provided a written
admission to store officials.Lipinski was interviewed by police and
explained she had looked up the electronic receipts in the store’s
computer, picked cash transactions, entered a refund and then took the
cash at the end of her shift.The total theft was for $5,776.67 from July
2008 to August 2009.

[Author]

May 3, 2010 at 11:46 AM