The former Lafayette County treasurer and tax collector who embezzled nearly a quarter-million dollars in public funds on Wednesday pleaded guilty in federal court, authorities said.
U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas Conner Eldridge said 37-year-old Keesha Rose entered a guilty plea to theft concerning programs receiving federal funds before U.S. District Judge Harry F. Barnes in Texarkana.
As part of the plea agreement, a second count of the same charge was dismissed. Rose also agreed to make full restitution on the embezzled funds, which reportedly total $243,893.
Rose faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 when she is sentenced at a later date.
A legislative audit revealed Rose, who was elected in November 2010, failed to deposit the public funds between 2011 and 2013, Eldridge said in a statement, noting the audit also revealed "numerous issues with accounting processes and recordkeeping that were consistent with the embezzlement of funds."
In 2011 and 2012, Lafayette County received more than $10,000 through a federal program, which led to the federal charges.
“We remain committed to investigating and prosecuting public officials that abuse the trust placed in them by embezzling public funds," Eldridge said. "Such conduct offends taxpayers and citizens as well as the vast majority of public officials who are truly dedicated to their service.”