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Ex-employee wants to repay what she stole

A Marietta woman who pilfered thousands of dollars from her former employer pleaded guilty Tuesday in Washington County Common Pleas Court.

Molly Jo Moore, 25, of 905 Sugar Plum Road, pleaded guilty to a fifth-degree felony count of theft.

Moore, a former employee of Lang Masonry in Waterford, had used the company credit cards to rack up tens of thousands of dollars in personal purchases, said Washington County Assistant Prosecutor Kevin Rings.

“The last time I heard from (Lang Masonry) they had the total between $40,000 and $41,000,” he said.

The fraudulent purchases included items or services from Amazon, Walmart and DirecTV. Moore also used the company cards to purchase plane tickets, hotel rooms, and four new tires for her personal vehicle, which ultimately led to the theft being discovered, said Rings.

“Skinner Firestone in Beverly gave (Lang Masonry) a courtesy call involving Molly Moore using a company credit card to purchase four new tires for her personal car,” he said.

The company then reviewed the credit card statements and found multiple fraudulent purchases Moore had made using the cards between September 2012 and October 2013, he said.

Moore was confronted about the charges in October, admitted to the thefts, and was fired.

“She apologized and promised to pay them the money back,” said Rings.

Moore told Washington County Common Pleas Court Judge Ed Lane she has no prior felonies and is currently taking medication for depression.

She has agreed as part of the plea agreement to repay Lang Masonry, said Rings.

Moore’s cooperation and apparent willingness to pay restitution is why she was given the opportunity to plead to a fifth-degree felony count of theft, he said.

“As the court will learn from the statement of facts, it could have been charged as a fourth-degree felony because of the amount of money involved,” said Rings.

Typically, fifth-degree felony theft cases involve an amount ranging from $1,000 to $7 ,499. Amounts ranging from $7,500 to $149,999 constitute a fourth-degree felony.

Rings said he will base his sentencing recommendation on whether or not Moore has made a serious attempt to pay restitution before her April 17 sentencing date.

However, the exact restitution figure is hard to pin down. Though the company estimates around $40,000, they have had trouble acquiring receipts from Amazon to verify that number. Additionally, around $9,000 worth of fraudulently purchased items were recovered, but that creates some confusion as to restitution, said Rings.

“Mr. Lang isn’t as interested in a tote full of property as he is in having his money back,” he said.

Lane asked if a restitution amount would be locked down by Moore’s sentencing.

Rings said he would either have the thefts documented or he could have someone from Lang Masonry come and testify to the amount that day.

“We need plenty of time for this sentencing. We might have to have a hearing that day too,” said Lane.

Lane ordered a personal recognizance bond for Moore and ordered her to continue with the mental health counseling she is currently undergoing.

Though Rings can agree to recommend a lighter sentence in light of restitution, Lane pointed out that Moore’s sentence will ultimately be up to him.

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