Public employee pleads guilty to theft from county
A former Blue Earth County fraud investigator fought back tears as she pleaded guilty to stealing from the county by illegally putting her mother on welfare.
The Free Press of Mankato reports 37-year-old Lucy Jo Mikolai stole nearly $1,400 in early 2009 by enrolling her mother in three welfare programs for which she was ineligible.
The newspaper says Mikolai had left her fraud investigation job and was working as a county financial assistance specialist when she did it. And public assistance specialists are not allowed to process applications for relatives.
At Tuesday's hearing Tuesday, Mikolai pleaded guilty to one count of felony theft and a gross misdemeanor charge of misconduct by a public employee. Under her plea agreement, she will be on probation for five years.
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Information from: The Free Press
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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