MONROE - A former Green County Human Services (GCHS) employee who pleaded no contest to theft June 18 was sentenced Tuesday in Green County Circuit Court.
Denise B. Kohn, 43, Monroe, was sentenced by Green County Circuit Court Judge James Beer to four years probation and 500 hours of community service.
She faced up to 10 years in prison and up to $25,000 in fines for the class G felony.
As part of the plea agreement, the court dismissed one count of theft, also a class G felony, and one count of obstructing an officer.
She originally faced more than 20 years in prison and up to $60,000 in fines.
Court records indicate Kohn, who was employed as a services specialist at GCHS, transferred about $10,000 from a joint account of human services clients to pay on a loan for her home Oct. 26, 2006.
According to the criminal complaint, Kohn began working at GCHS in February 2002. Her job was to help human services clients establish budgets and pay their bills. Her client list included 32 people, but eventually increased to 77 people.
Initially all of the clients had separate checking and savings accounts and Kohn wrote checks to utility companies and other businesses to help clients keep their accounts organized and keep their bills paid.
In the fall of 2005, she requested, and received, permission from GCHS to open one bank account for several clients. She would be able to write one check to several businesses that serve the clients rather than writing several individual checks to the same companies.
In April 2008, a brother of one of Kohn's clients contacted human services to find out how much money his sister had in her account. When told she had $158 in her account, he informed human services workers his sister should have about $2,000 in her account.
An investigation by GCHS determined Kohn had taken money from her clients.
Denise B. Kohn, 43, Monroe, was sentenced by Green County Circuit Court Judge James Beer to four years probation and 500 hours of community service.
She faced up to 10 years in prison and up to $25,000 in fines for the class G felony.
As part of the plea agreement, the court dismissed one count of theft, also a class G felony, and one count of obstructing an officer.
She originally faced more than 20 years in prison and up to $60,000 in fines.
Court records indicate Kohn, who was employed as a services specialist at GCHS, transferred about $10,000 from a joint account of human services clients to pay on a loan for her home Oct. 26, 2006.
According to the criminal complaint, Kohn began working at GCHS in February 2002. Her job was to help human services clients establish budgets and pay their bills. Her client list included 32 people, but eventually increased to 77 people.
Initially all of the clients had separate checking and savings accounts and Kohn wrote checks to utility companies and other businesses to help clients keep their accounts organized and keep their bills paid.
In the fall of 2005, she requested, and received, permission from GCHS to open one bank account for several clients. She would be able to write one check to several businesses that serve the clients rather than writing several individual checks to the same companies.
In April 2008, a brother of one of Kohn's clients contacted human services to find out how much money his sister had in her account. When told she had $158 in her account, he informed human services workers his sister should have about $2,000 in her account.
An investigation by GCHS determined Kohn had taken money from her clients.