Billings Woman Sentenced for Stealing From Special Needs Clients

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A Billings woman who stole thousands of dollars from her employer's special needs clients has been given a six-year deferred sentence and ordered to pay more than $11,500 in restitution.

The Billings Gazette reports (http://bit.ly/1Ajwb1G) District Judge Rod Souza on Friday also ordered Marcia Ketchem to write personalized apology letters to each of the 54 victims and barred her from working with any protected class of people, at the request of her former employer.

Prosecutors say Ketchum used various methods to steal a few dollars at a time from the victims while employed as a part-time clerical worker for Billings Training Industries.

Investigators found Ketchem entered client paychecks for less than the actual amount or recorded expenditures for more than the actual amount spent and pocketed the difference.