Appeal Denied for Former Shakopee High School Secretary Who Stole $168,000

A former secretary who embezzled more than $168,000 from the district and was sentenced to 51 months in prison had her appealf or a lesser sentence denied in the Minnesota Court of Appeals this week.

Deanna Stanius worked for ten years as the administrative assistant to Shakopee High School Principal James Murphy, according to court documents. In 2010, police investigators discovered she had been pilfering from the school, mostly taking fundraising money that students and parents had collected. Over a three-year period, Stanius used a school checkbook to forge $160,413 in fraudulent checks to herself. She also had a school-issued credit card to purchase supplies, which she used to advance herself $8,097 in cash at Mystic Lake Casino, court documents said.

Stanius pleaded guilty to six felony counts of theft by swindle in November 2010 and received a sentence in February 2011 of four years and three months in prison. She was also ordered to pay restitution of nearly $185,000.

After her conviction, Stanius appealed, arguing that the district court abused its discretion by refusing to lessen her sentence to only probation. Stanius argued that her compulsive gambling disorder required a departure from state sentencing guidelines and the lesser sentence.

But, the Minnesota Court of Appeals said this week that Stanius never provided evidence of a gambling disorder and that records show she used the stolen funds in part, not to gamble, but to vacation in Hungary, Germany, Austria, Mexico, and the Cayman Islands, and to buy clothes and jewelry.

Stanius also appealed on the argument that a 51-month prison sentence was unfair based on her crimes.

The Court of Appeals disagreed, saying this argument minimizes the gravity of her crimes, considering that Stanius repeatedly stole money in increasing amounts from a public high school's activity account created by the sacrifices and generosity of students, parents, staff, and community members. Her $168,510 theft spree spanned at least three years. As the district court explained, it had "a far reaching impact beyond just the students, staff, and faculty of the Shakopee High School. The community of Shakopee as a whole [was] impacted by this offense." Because of her theft, her supervisor, Principal Murphy, a "long time respected educator in [the] community," also lost his job, court documents said.

In a third argument, Stanius said she should have been assigned only to probation because she is remorseful and amenable to rehabilitation. But, the Court of Appeals said the district court already took into account the fact that she may be remorseful, may have completed treatment for gambling problems, was willing to pay restitution and seems to have a strong support network of family and friends. They found, however, that the district court also had to consider that Stanius had committed a major economic offense involving multiple incidents per victim over a long period of time, that she used her position of trust to facilitate her crime, and that she also co-opted her supervisor's identity.