Phoenix Woman Given 10-Year Prison Term for Embezzlement

(Phoenix, Ariz. – Feb. 27, 2008) Attorney General Terry Goddard today announced that Cheryl Crabtree, 62, of Phoenix, was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Tuesday after she pleaded guilty to one count of fraud and one count of theft. Pima County Superior Court Judge Hector Campoy also ordered her to pay $534,000 in restitution.

Crabtree pleaded guilty in January. According to court documents, Crabtree embezzled more than $200,000 while serving as a bookkeeper and then as chief financial officer for the Tucson company Dot Kret and Associates (DKA). This company places mentally/physically challenged adults in work situations throughout Arizona. The indictment alleged that Crabtree defrauded the company over 13 years.

The conviction is the result of an investigation by the Attorney General’s Special Investigation Section. Assistant Attorney General John Evans prosecuted this case.