It's always unfortunate to see how people can be tempted by money that they forget to do their job. What's even more heartbreaking to see is that they steal from the company they work for. The same case happened with Greta Dubuclet Patterson, a former court clerk who was facing charges filed against her.
In December, Patterson pleaded guilty to embezzling over $1 million since 2009. She was discovered to have embezzled this amount after a city investigation was done against her. District Attorney Dee Bates confirmed this amount.
Following her plea, a Mississippi judge ordered Patterson to pay back the money she embezzled. According to Pike County Circuit Court Judge David Strong, it was impossible for the 46-year-old to pay back the money as quickly as she could saying that he knows she won't be able to get "a million any time soon." Instead, he ordered Patterson to pay back the money at $600 a month.
Apart from paying $600 a month, the Judge also sentenced Patterson to restitution as well as 10 years of house arrest. She would need to pay the money for a suspended period of eight years. With the court's decision held on Friday, it was decided that she would be repaying the money she embezzled from the court. And that money was decided to be $600 a month.
But as reported by The Enterprise-Journal, it would take Patterson more than 141 years to pay back the money if she were to pay only $600 a month. The Judge, however, reiterates that the former McComb court clerk needed to pay the amount monthly. If she were to miss a payment, she would have to go to prison or spend some time at a restitution center.
That seems fair enough for Patterson to repay considering the amount she embezzled.
