Former Johnson County court accountant pleads guilty to embezzling more than $1 million
A former accounting supervisor for Johnson County District Court admitted in court Tuesday to embezzling more than $1 million and creating false documents to cover up the crime, federal prosecutors said Tuesday.
Dawna Kellogg, 61, of Williamsburg, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of making a false tax return, court records show. Prosecutors said the fraud scheme amounted to $1.1 million and took place over the course of 10 years.
According to court papers, Kellogg — who was employed under her previous name Dawna Brandt — admitted that she stole cash deposits meant for court services between January 2010 and June 2017. She resigned from her job in June 2017 after she was reprimanded for failing to report that she had been living with a subordinate employee, court records state.
Prosecutors said Kellogg stole cash coming into the court, including bail bond payments, and spent the money or deposited the proceeds into her personal bank account. She kept the fraud from being discovered by manipulating an unclaimed property account or creating an open payable to the Johnson County District Court Clerk to cover the amount she stole, according to court records.
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