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Former school employee stole more than $33,000 of school funds from Hartland-Lakeside School District in Wisconsin.
Despite earning $80,000 a year for her part-time job as the Hartland-Lakeside School District business manager, a Milwaukee woman stole more than $33,000 from the district while she worked there, according to a criminal complaint.
Diana Taylor, 41, was charged Feb. 2 in Waukesha County Circuit Court with theft of movable property and two counts of tax fraud, all felonies. The charges came about 15 months after district officials first noticed the thefts, and a little more than a year after Taylor tendered her resignation. Taylor spent about $33,144 in district funds on a wide array of personal items — including some of which she gave to other district staff members as gifts — over the course of about 18 months. The district discovered the illegal expenditures during an audit of district accounts, and placed Taylor on administrative leave in November 2018. According to the report, Taylor worked three days a week and had an annual salary of $80,000 plus biannual bonuses. Court records show her initial court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 18. If convicted, Taylor could face up to more than two decades in prison and $45,000 in fines.