# Arkansas State Treasurer caught with her hand in the cookie jar. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 20, 2013, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arkansas-state-treasurer-caught-with-her-hand-in-the-cookie-jar/658872 "2013-05-20T21:32:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arkansas-state-treasurer-caught-with-her-hand-in-the-cookie-jar/658872/21 "2013-05-22T13:56:01Z")
Yeah, [here’s someone](http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/14/16963516-horse-loving-bookkeeper-gets-almost-20-years-for-stealing-53-million-from-illinois-town?lite) who does embezzlement _right_! > [@](#): > > A former bookkeeper for a cash-strapped Illinois city, who admitted embezzling $53 million to finance a lavish lifestyle centered on prize-winning horses, was sentenced Thursday to almost 20 years in prison…“She saw city employees every day that gone over two years without raises because of her theft,” Mayor Jim Burke said. > > Agency head Michael Stichter recounted how Crundwell rejected his requests for equipment and told him, “If you knew where a money tree was, I’d be willing to get you a dump truck.” Go big or go home. StG ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arkansas-state-treasurer-caught-with-her-hand-in-the-cookie-jar/658872/22 "2013-05-22T13:59:53Z")
Well, she got it right, except for the getting caught bit. I would have secretly moved the money overseas, quietly retired and then openly left the country. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arkansas-state-treasurer-caught-with-her-hand-in-the-cookie-jar/658872/23 "2013-05-22T14:16:01Z")
> [@Hypno-Toad](#): > > This is the state that made Bill Clinton governor. Hard to be surprised that they might elect some other democrats to high office. Good point. I used to date a girl whose parents were from Hot Springs and they were… well, _reactionary_ would be putting it mildly. > [@silenus](#): > > That’s the thing that astonishes me about most political corruption - that the prices are _so low_. Equally astonishing is the 1930s payoff methods. Money in a pie box? What, is she the warden at Shawshank? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arkansas-state-treasurer-caught-with-her-hand-in-the-cookie-jar/658872/24 "2013-05-22T14:23:18Z")
Seventy five grand is a [little better.](http://arkansasmatters.com/fulltext?nxd_id=545792) ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arkansas-state-treasurer-caught-with-her-hand-in-the-cookie-jar/658872/25 "2013-05-22T14:54:23Z")
A [link](http://talkbusiness.net/2013/05/treasurer-shoffner-resigns-from-office/) to her resignation. ---
**Author:** ![Fir\_na\_tine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Fir\_na\_tine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fir_na_tine)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arkansas-state-treasurer-caught-with-her-hand-in-the-cookie-jar/658872/26 "2013-05-22T19:50:13Z")
Many years ago I used to teach Principles of Banking to new bank employees. I always told them, "When you deal with money - whether it’s paper currency or bookkeeping entries - it’s easy to steal. Usually takes a long time before anyone catches on. **But they will catch on and you will eventually get caught. So as long as you are willing to give up your job, your good name, your family life, etc., go ahead and dip into the till. Just remember the price you are going to pay.** ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arkansas-state-treasurer-caught-with-her-hand-in-the-cookie-jar/658872/27 "2013-05-22T20:09:29Z")
Yea, but I’m too cool to get caught. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2013, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arkansas-state-treasurer-caught-with-her-hand-in-the-cookie-jar/658872/28 "2013-05-22T21:17:34Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Seventy five grand is a [little better.](http://arkansasmatters.com/fulltext?nxd_id=545792) Is it just me or does anyone else see a huge difference between taking a bribe, and working (and being paid) for working overtime? ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2013, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arkansas-state-treasurer-caught-with-her-hand-in-the-cookie-jar/658872/29 "2013-05-23T13:57:55Z")
I actually saw this in the paper the day before the FBI reported how they had caught her. I sat there trying to think how they could have done it, yet it never crossed my mind that, in the middle of a freaking investigation, she would be stupid enough to go ahead and take a bribe. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2013, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arkansas-state-treasurer-caught-with-her-hand-in-the-cookie-jar/658872/30 "2013-05-23T14:06:17Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > Is it just me or does anyone else see a huge difference between taking a bribe, and working (and being paid) for working overtime? When someone pulls those kinds of hours, there is often suspicion that some of the overtime may have been faked. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2013, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arkansas-state-treasurer-caught-with-her-hand-in-the-cookie-jar/658872/31 "2013-05-23T14:14:22Z")
That article mentioned that the one officer in Little Rock had almost 3,000 hours of overtime. Adding that to the 2,000 hours for a normal work schedule, that means she worked about 5,000 hours in a year, or about 13 hours every day of the year. Is that plausible? I don’t see how it’s possible to do so. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2013, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arkansas-state-treasurer-caught-with-her-hand-in-the-cookie-jar/658872/32 "2013-05-23T15:19:37Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > That article mentioned that the one officer in Little Rock had almost 3,000 hours of overtime. Adding that to the 2,000 hours for a normal work schedule, that means she worked about 5,000 hours in a year, or about 13 hours every day of the year. Is that plausible? I don’t see how it’s possible to do so. It’s rough but definitely possible. I’ve worked periods of much more work than that. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2013, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arkansas-state-treasurer-caught-with-her-hand-in-the-cookie-jar/658872/33 "2013-05-23T15:32:12Z")
A whole year of thirteen hour days? ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2013, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arkansas-state-treasurer-caught-with-her-hand-in-the-cookie-jar/658872/34 "2013-05-24T11:19:55Z")
Right- a whole year of 13 hr days every single day? When counting only regular 5-day workweeks that turns into 20 hr days being the norm. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2013, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arkansas-state-treasurer-caught-with-her-hand-in-the-cookie-jar/658872/35 "2013-05-24T12:06:37Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > That article mentioned that the one officer in Little Rock had almost 3,000 hours of overtime. Adding that to the 2,000 hours for a normal work schedule, that means she worked about 5,000 hours in a year, or about 13 hours every day of the year. Is that plausible? I don’t see how it’s possible to do so. Read for detail people. Go back and re-read the article. The time period was more than 1 year. > [@](#): > > From the start of last year until last week the article has a date of April 15 so we are talking not 12 months, but rather 16 months and 1 week. This is going to change your hours per day and total hour calculations substantially. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2013, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arkansas-state-treasurer-caught-with-her-hand-in-the-cookie-jar/658872/36 "2013-05-24T13:03:41Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > Read for detail people. > Go back and re-read the article. The time period was more than 1 year. the article has a date of April 15 so we are talking not 12 months, but rather 16 months and 1 week. > This is going to change your hours per day and total hour calculations substantially. The story broke her two or three months ago. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2013, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arkansas-state-treasurer-caught-with-her-hand-in-the-cookie-jar/658872/37 "2013-05-24T15:03:06Z")
Not so much the cookie jar… more the pie box. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2013, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arkansas-state-treasurer-caught-with-her-hand-in-the-cookie-jar/658872/38 "2013-05-24T15:56:09Z")
[The latest](http://www.rockcitytimes.com/martha-shoffner-pleads-guilty-extortion-charges-claims-innocently-selling-meat-pies-delinquent-tax-payers/): Shoffner instead claimed that the payment, and all previous payments, were for her famous meat pies made from Arkansas residents who failed to pay their taxes. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2013, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arkansas-state-treasurer-caught-with-her-hand-in-the-cookie-jar/658872/39 "2013-05-24T16:14:21Z")
The Onion it is not. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arkansas-state-treasurer-caught-with-her-hand-in-the-cookie-jar/658872.md?page=1)