A former Circuit Court clerk in Kentucky has admitted to stealing more than $330,000 from her office, using a sophisticated system that allowed her to siphon public money for nearly a decade.
Kentucky's attorney general announced Friday that Emma Lou Adams, Lee County's Circuit Court clerk for 23 years, pleaded guilty to felony abuse of public trust. She is facing one to five years in prison at her sentencing in April.
The Administrative Office of the Courts discovered irregularities during an audit and an investigation by the attorney general found $334,845 went missing between 2006 and 2015.
Defense attorney Tom Jones said Adams does not dispute the amount stolen, though declined to comment further.
Adams, paid a salary of $72,987 as the elected clerk, retired last August amid the investigation.
