Woman Pleads Guilty to Stealing from Oceanside Elks Lodge

A Carlsbad woman who used forged checks to take about $70,000 from her mother after stealing more than $170,000 from the Oceanside Elks Lodge pleaded guilty Monday to theft from an elder, identity theft and embezzlement.

The woman apparently took the funds to feed a gambling habit, according to a prosecutor.

Morri Lee Kelsey, 58, faces a maximum two years and four months in state prison when she is sentenced July 11, said Deputy District Attorney Bruce Silva.

Kelsey -- who lived with her mother -- started using forged checks to take money from the older woman after being charged with stealing from the Elks Lodge where she worked as a bookkeeper for seven years, the prosecutor said.

Silva said Kelsey stole approximately $170,000 from Elks Lodge 1561 between 2009 and 2012.

—City News Service