SPOKANE, Wash. — A Spokane County worker was sentenced to serve prison time and repay $1.38 in stolen public funds on Wednesday.
Rhonda Sue Ackerman was employed as a liability claims tech and reportedly stole $1.38 million from Spokane County over the span of a decade. According to prosecutors, she filed dozens of fake claims over that time and directed the claimants, who were mostly relatives or friends of her son, to cash the checks and give the majority of the funds to her.
Ackerman pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree theft in Oct. 2022 after her fraud scheme was identified by an uncashed check for $8,963.45.
The uncashed check prompted an internal investigation and a follow-up investigation by the Washington State Auditor, as well as criminal investigations by the Spokane Police Department and Attorney General's Office.
Ackerman acquired 45 "claimants" that she knew and gave them each $100 to $200 to cash each check. She gave her son $100 to $300 for accompanying his friends to the bank.
According to charging documents, Ackerman spent the money on gambling, new cars and nice gifts.
On Wednesday, Judge Raymond Clary sentenced her to one year and one day in prison on top of full restitution.
Attorney General Bob Ferguson who was prosecuting the case said, “Justice was done today, Washington AG Bob Ferguson said. ” “This prosecution sends an important message: My prosecutors and I will hold those who engage in public corruption accountable."
DOWNLOAD THE KREM SMARTPHONE APP
DOWNLOAD FOR IPHONE HERE | DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID HERE
HOW TO ADD THE KREM+ APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for KREM in the Channel Store.
Fire TV: Search for "KREM" to find the free app to add to your account. Another option for Fire TV is to have the app delivered directly to your Fire TV through Amazon.
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email webspokane@krem.com.
