Former High School Bookstore Manager Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison

PHOENIX- Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced today a judge sentenced a former high school bookstore manager to 18 months in prison for theft. Brenda Lynn Busse, 56, stole more than $120,000 from the bookstore at Tolleson Union High School. On February 21, 2017, Busse pleaded guilty to one count of Fraudulent Schemes and Artifices and to one count of Theft. 

From July 2007 to June 2011, Busse stole cash payments made to the TUHS bookstore by parents and students for various fees and extracurricular activities. Busse manipulated computer dates to conceal the theft. The money should have been deposited into TUHS District accounts. The investigation started when district officials noticed irregularities in TUHS bookstore revenue records and notified the Arizona Office of the Auditor General and the Attorney General's Office.

Busse will be placed on supervised probation for 4 years after she is released from prison. The judge also ordered Busse to pay $120,707.65 in restitution.

Assistant Attorney General Joseph Waters prosecuted this case.