A former Ignacio town employee suspected of embezzling nearly $70,000 and gambling it away was formally charged Thursday in 6th Judicial District Court with felony theft.
The amount of money that went missing has escalated during the investigation. According to a court document filed this week, prosecutors say Jacquelyn Dawn Mejia, 54, embezzled $69,079.33.
The amount of money Mejia initially admitted to having embezzled was much lower.
According to an arrest affidavit, Mejia voluntarily went to the Ignacio Police Department on Jan. 21 and told officer Wes Crume that she stole about $17,000 from town coffers since early November 2015. At the time, Mejia acknowledged the amount might be higher. It was later determined that she stole at least $46,000, according to the arrest affidavit.
Mejia cited her gambling addiction as a reason for the embezzlement.
Crume arrested Mejia on Jan. 21 at Ignacio Town Hall and later took her to La Plata County Jail. She is free on bail.
Mejia worked for the town of Ignacio as a front-desk employee since late spring or early summer 2015.
Her next court date is set for 9 a.m. May 5.
Thomas Feiler is a student at the Catholic University Eichstaett-Ingolstadt, Germany, and an intern at The Durango Herald.
