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Syracuse, NY — The lawyer for a former Onondaga Community College employee suspected of stealing from the school over the past decade was in court today to discuss a possible resolution of the case.
Defense lawyer Emil Rossi met with Assistant District Attorney Matthew Dotzler and County Judge Anthony Aloi to discuss the criminal case against Kathleen Kane. Dotzler said the prosecution is looking for a jail sentence and restitution of about $200,000. Kane, 47, of 206 Bennett St., East Syracuse, was arrested last year on four counts each of first-degree falsifying business records and fourth-degree grand larceny.
She is accused of stealing money from students’ payments while she was employed as a cashier in the OCC bursar’s office. The series of charges covers the theft of only $6,527 from April 9 through May 25. But in a statement to authorities, Kane admitted stealing $100,000 to $150,000 since 2003. She told authorities she began stealing at work after being divorced from her husband and falling behind with her bills.
Kane was not present in court today and Rossi declined comment on the specifics of any plea negotiations that took place at the bench with Dotzler and Aloi.
But Dotzler said the prosecution made an offer to have Kane plead guilty to one felony grand larceny charge and one charge of tax fraud to satisfy all charges from the thefts. The prosecution would seek to have Kane sentenced to two consecutive one-year sentences in the Onondaga County Correctional Facility in Jamesville, he said.
He also said authorities believe the total amount of money stolen from OCC to be about $200,000. Any plea deal would include an order for Kane to pay back that money. Kane also would be on the hook for any tax liability stemming from her underreporting her income by not reporting the thefts, the prosecutor said. Aloi adjourned the case to Feb. 13 for a status report from the lawyers.
This article was originally published on syracuse.com, click here to read the article.