Having a felony on your record in Michigan can not only hurt you now, but in the future as well. Future employers may look at your record and be reluctant to hire you if you have a felony, especially for government careers or jobs that involve working with children. This is why it is so important to speak with an attorney before accepting any plea agreements or pleading guilty to any charges levied against you.
A woman recently accepted a plea agreement with the Kalamazoo County Prosecutor’s Office in her criminal case. Under the terms of the agreement, the 58-year-old woman pleaded guilty to one count of theft of $20,000 to $50,000 under false pretenses. This constitutes a felony and may include a sentence of up to 15 years behind bars.
The woman ran a daycare in Kalamazoo which she opened in May 2006. As part of her guilty plea, she admitted to authorities that she gave the state of Michigan wrong information so that she could receive more money from the state. The chief assistant prosecutor in the case says that the woman overbilled the Michigan Department of Human Services for the amount of time the children were in her care.
The daycare owner is also being investigated for a licensing issue by Michigan’s Bureau of Children and Adult Licensing.
If the woman is convicted of a felony, she will likely never be able to work in, let alone run, a licensed daycare center again. Because the stakes are so high, she would be well advised to seek the help of a knowledgeable criminal defense attorney.
Source: MLive, “Kalamazoo daycare owner charged with defrauding state of Michigan of $440,000 pleads guilty,” Rex Hall Jr., Aug. 7, 2013
