Former South Dakota State Employee Accepts Plea Deal in Fraud Case
Lynne Hunsley, a former state employee, pleads guilty to fraud charges and is sentenced to probation and fines in South Dakota.
Lynne Hunsley, Pierre, South Dakota, Fraud, Plea Deal
Pierre: So, here’s the scoop. Lynne Hunsley, a former state employee in South Dakota, just took a plea deal. She was in hot water for some serious fraud stuff and ended up getting probation.
Hunsley, who’s 64, was accused of using her job at the Division of Motor Vehicles to whip up a fake vehicle title back in 2021. She tried to dodge some taxes when buying a new vehicle by pretending she had a trade-in.
The Attorney General, Marty Jackley, wasn’t having any of it. He slapped her with seven fraud-related charges, including five felonies. That’s a big deal!
Fast forward to Monday, and Hunsley pleaded guilty to two of those charges: forgery and grand theft by deception. The judge gave her three years of probation, a $1,000 fine, and she has to pay back $1,200 to the state.
Good news for her, though—she won’t have to serve four years in prison unless she messes up again. Jackley made a statement saying Hunsley is owning up to her actions and that they’re working hard to keep the public’s trust.
But wait, there’s more! Hunsley isn’t the only one in trouble. There’s a whole string of former state employees facing charges for various shady activities. It’s like a crime wave over there!
One of the other cases involves a woman named Lonna Carroll, who allegedly embezzled a whopping $1.8 million over 13 years. That’s a lot of cash! And there’s also a case about some forged food-service inspection records.
Jackley is planning to push for new laws to help prevent this kind of fraud in the future. Plus, the governor is stepping in with some new training for state employees to keep things above board.
So, that’s the latest on this wild situation in South Dakota. It’s a reminder that even in government, things can get a little messy!