PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announces that a former state Department of Social Services employee was found guilty Thursday of stealing an estimated $1.8 million in state and federal funds from the department’s Child Protection Services.
Lonna Carroll, 68, of Algona, Iowa, was found guilty by a Hughes County Jury of two felony counts of Aggravated Grand Theft. The maximum sentence for Count One is 25 years in prison and a $50,000 fine. The maximum sentence for Count Two is 15 years in prison and a $30,000 fine.
“This was a violation of trust by someone who had access to public funds,” said Attorney General Jackley, who was co-prosecutor in the trial that started Tuesday, April 1. “She stole money from the accounts of children who were in the custody of DSS, and now she is being held accountable for her actions.”
The state Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) and Legislative Audit led the investigation. The Attorney General’s Office prosecuted the case.
A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.
