A former employee at the Empire Electric branch in Cortez has pleaded guilty in connection with embezzling about $280,000 from the utility company.<\/p>\n
Lisa Kay Balderrama, 50, of Cortez, pleaded guilty this month in Durango before U.S. Magistrate Judge David L. West to making false statements on a tax return. Balderrama will be sentenced on April 8, 2015.<\/p>\n
According to court records, Balderrama began working for Empire Electric in December 2005 as a customer service representative. In October 2012, company accountants approached Balderrama, questioning whether certain deposits had been made.<\/p>\n
In mid-December 2012, she was again questioned about discrepancies and about a $277,000 electronic transaction she had posted on Oct. 22, 2012. The following Monday, Balderrama reported to work and confessed that she had stolen about $280,000 from Empire Electric, according to the investigation.<\/p>\n
The investigation revealed that Balderrama, from 2009 through 2012, stole money from customers who paid cash for their electric bills.<\/p>\n
According to U.S. Attorney John Walsh and IRS agent Stephen Boyd, Balderrama failed to report a combined total income of $277,035 on her tax returns in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013. The tax loss to the IRS totaled $64,477.<\/p>\n
Balderrama entered her guilty plea to one count of a false statement on a tax return on Dec. 2. The offense carries a penalty of up to three years in federal prison, and a fine of up to $250,000.<\/p>\n
According to Josh Dellinger, Empire assistant general manager, the accounting department discovered the discrepancy in funds.<\/p>\n
\u201cBalderrama was confronted and confessed to her superiors that she had taken the funds,\u201d Dellinger said. \u201cEmpire officials immediately contacted the Cortez Police Department.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dellinger said internal and independent investigations identified areas that needed improvement in the accounting department, and those areas have been addressed.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll losses incurred by Empire were reimbursed by our insurance carrier,\u201d said Dellinger. \u201cBalderrama\u2019s actions will not result in any increase in rates or fees for Empire members or customers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Balderrama had been an employee at The Cortez Journal, leaving in September 2005. No other details about her employment were available at press time.<\/p>\n
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