A former Farmington district court clerk who stole more than more than $1 million from the city over several years was sentenced to federal prison Wednesday and ordered to pay restitution.
James Lewis Story, 58, pleaded guilty in November to one count each of theft concerning programs that receive federal money and filing a false income tax return.
U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks sentenced Story to three years and 10 months on the theft charge and three years on the income tax charge, to run concurrently. Brooks ordered Story to pay $1,283,966 restitution to the city and $371,956 restitution to the Internal Revenue Service.
Story agreed to pay $39,000 immediately and 65 percent of his monthly pension in the future. That amount should be about $550 per month.
Brooks ordered Story not to incur any debt or open any bank account without permission.
Story was allowed to remain free on existing bond until he reports to prison Aug. 22.
Brooks followed federal sentencing guidelines but said he did not feel they accurately reflect the seriousness of the damage Story has done to public trust in the city and judicial system.
Story used a pen, paper and account ledgers to steal rather than a gun but that should not diminish the seriousness of the offenses, Brooks said.
"Don't mistake that for saying you're not a thief, because you are," Brooks said. "Sir, what you did was not a mistake. You, sir, made an intentional decision day after day, week after week."
Brooks said Story stole to support an extravagant lifestyle, not because he needed the money.
Story resigned Dec. 5, 2016. He had worked for the city since 1995.
City employees found discrepancies in money paid to the city but not deposited into the general fund. The information was given to the Washington County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, the FBI and Arkansas Legislative Audit.
Story was the sole person responsible for receiving and depositing city revenue, reconciling bank statements, and entering and editing information in the district court system, city officials said.
The missing money was from court fines, costs and fees, and city general fund revenue that wasn't deposited between 2009 and December 2016, state auditors said.