Suspended Pittsburg County court clerk pleads guilty to embezzlement, forgery

McALESTER, Okla. (AP) -- The Pittsburg County court clerk pleaded guilty Monday to a felony charge of embezzlement and 20 counts of second-degree forgery.<br/><br/>The pleas by 53-year-old Linda Price

Monday, March 20th 2006, 10:28 am

By: News On 6

McALESTER, Okla. (AP) -- The Pittsburg County court clerk pleaded guilty Monday to a felony charge of embezzlement and 20 counts of second-degree forgery.

The pleas by 53-year-old Linda Price Williams came as part of an agreement with prosecutors that will keep her from spending any time in jail.

Williams was sentenced to a ten-year suspended sentence on the embezzlement charge and a seven-year suspended sentence on each of the forgery charges. The sentences will all run concurrently.

Defense attorney Ronnie May told the court that Williams planned to resign. She was already suspended from her position in February after the state Auditor and Inspector's Office found forged reimbursement claims in an audit.

Investigators claim Williams used the money for gambling.

She was ordered to pay restitution to cover the amount she embezzled plus the cost of the audit.