MONROE - Joyce Ziehli, convicted of embezzling more than $500,000 from a New Glarus nursing home, will be sentenced on March 20, with a restitution hearing to follow in May.
Ziehli, 56, Belleville, appeared in court Thursday for a status conference and to set a date for her sentencing. Ziehli was found guilty on Oct. 7 by Judge Thomas Vale for all but one felony theft count as a part of a plea agreement. Count one was dismissed, and Ziehli plead no contest to five counts of theft in a business setting of over $10,000.
Defense and prosecution met Thursday to outline their basic arguments for restitution including monies the New Glarus Home spent on a marketing firm, an accountant, an insurance claim received by the home and attorney fees during Ziehli's criminal proceedings. Ziehli's attorney Robert Duxstad argued that the victim's request for restitution in excess of $290,000 was unreasonably high. Duxstad also wanted the New Glarus Home's attorney to disclose time stamps to determine when these fees were accrued and that they did not fall in the timeline of the dismissed count one from January 2004 to December 2007.
The nursing home's attorney Lynn Stathas argued that restitution to the home should be tacked onto District Attorney Gary Luhman's request of more than $290,000, excluding the insurance claim. Stathas argued attorney fees would add up to around $125,000 to $126,000; that accountant fees added up to more than $91,000; the home received an insurance claim of $160,000 for its losses that could be subtracted in Luhman's proposal for restitution; the PR firm hired by the home required more than $18,000; and a private investigator hired by the home would cost about $1,700.
Duxstad said before any of these included fees could be considered that all the documentation needed to be provided. Sathas argued some of the correspondences and emails between the home and these other parties could include privileged information that could have to be redacted. Vale directed Stathas to provide him with all the documentation for restitution to the home by March 10 so he can review the documents and decide if anything needs to be redacted.
Ziehli, a former administrative secretary at the New Glarus Home, is convicted of using her position to complete hundreds of fraudulent transactions from 2007 to 2013. Ziehli worked for the home for 31 years up until she was fired in January 2013 in the wake of her current allegations.
The criminal complaint indicates Ziehli used a stamp of her former employer's signature to fill out checks either made out to cash or in Ziehli's name. She pulled money from a resident account used for surplus spending cash for residents of the home. She also allegedly used some of the money to pay off credit card bills or deposited full or partial portions of the money into her personal bank accounts.
Upon sentencing, Ziehli could face up to 25 years imprisonment or a fine of $125,000 or both. The restitution hearing is set for May 6.
Ziehli, 56, Belleville, appeared in court Thursday for a status conference and to set a date for her sentencing. Ziehli was found guilty on Oct. 7 by Judge Thomas Vale for all but one felony theft count as a part of a plea agreement. Count one was dismissed, and Ziehli plead no contest to five counts of theft in a business setting of over $10,000.
Defense and prosecution met Thursday to outline their basic arguments for restitution including monies the New Glarus Home spent on a marketing firm, an accountant, an insurance claim received by the home and attorney fees during Ziehli's criminal proceedings. Ziehli's attorney Robert Duxstad argued that the victim's request for restitution in excess of $290,000 was unreasonably high. Duxstad also wanted the New Glarus Home's attorney to disclose time stamps to determine when these fees were accrued and that they did not fall in the timeline of the dismissed count one from January 2004 to December 2007.
The nursing home's attorney Lynn Stathas argued that restitution to the home should be tacked onto District Attorney Gary Luhman's request of more than $290,000, excluding the insurance claim. Stathas argued attorney fees would add up to around $125,000 to $126,000; that accountant fees added up to more than $91,000; the home received an insurance claim of $160,000 for its losses that could be subtracted in Luhman's proposal for restitution; the PR firm hired by the home required more than $18,000; and a private investigator hired by the home would cost about $1,700.
Duxstad said before any of these included fees could be considered that all the documentation needed to be provided. Sathas argued some of the correspondences and emails between the home and these other parties could include privileged information that could have to be redacted. Vale directed Stathas to provide him with all the documentation for restitution to the home by March 10 so he can review the documents and decide if anything needs to be redacted.
Ziehli, a former administrative secretary at the New Glarus Home, is convicted of using her position to complete hundreds of fraudulent transactions from 2007 to 2013. Ziehli worked for the home for 31 years up until she was fired in January 2013 in the wake of her current allegations.
The criminal complaint indicates Ziehli used a stamp of her former employer's signature to fill out checks either made out to cash or in Ziehli's name. She pulled money from a resident account used for surplus spending cash for residents of the home. She also allegedly used some of the money to pay off credit card bills or deposited full or partial portions of the money into her personal bank accounts.
Upon sentencing, Ziehli could face up to 25 years imprisonment or a fine of $125,000 or both. The restitution hearing is set for May 6.