Bookkeeper Gets 5 Years in Prison for Embezzling $720,000

KENNEWICK, Wash. (AP) — A bookkeeper who embezzled about $720,000 over a four-year period from the Richland doctor's office where she worked has been sentenced to five years in prison.

The Tri-City Herald reports that 43-year-old Jennifer Morris received the sentence Thursday in Benton County Superior Court.

Morris pleaded guilty in May to first-degree theft, with the aggravating circumstance that it was a major economic offense.

Dr. Robert Whitson says the embezzlement caused his business to almost go bankrupt.

The defense attorney for Morris says the embezzlement was caused after Morris became addicted to opiates, but she's been sober since March 2016.

Authorities say Morris used the money for jewelry, purses, trips, dog boarding and cellphone services.