EVERETT — Stephanie Koppisch was abusing prescription medications when she embezzled $330,000 from the YWCA’s coffers.
A judge was told Tuesday that the Granite Falls mother has quit using drugs not prescribed to her and has sought mental health treatment.
Koppisch declined to say anything before Snohomish County Superior Court Anita Farris sentenced her to 16 months in prison. The judge ordered Koppisch taken into custody immediately. The defendant was led away in handcuffs with a courthouse marshal carrying her medications in a plastic bag.
Koppisch, 44, has been receiving treatment for bipolar disorder, according to court papers. She was diagnosed after she confessed to stealing from her employer. Koppisch once managed the YWCA’s south Everett apartments for women and children.
From 2007 to 2011 she pocketed rent money she collected from low-income tenants. In some cases, Koppisch’s records showed the tenants delinquent on their rent even though they had receipts or copies of the money orders showing they had paid the manager. Detectives uncovered evidence showing that Koppisch altered and cashed the money orders and deposited the money in her own bank account. She also kept cash payments.
The missing money came to light in the summer of 2010 when YWCA officials noticed revenue for the apartment complex was significantly down. Koppisch told her bosses the bad economy was to blame. By January 2011, YWCA officials began digging deeper into the books. They noticed numerous inconsistencies, including altered money orders and uncollected fees.
Koppisch was fired in 2011. She was charged in 2014 with first-degree theft. Prosecutors charged the case in a way that allowed Farris to send the defendant to prison. She otherwise would have faced three months in jail.
On Tuesday, Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Robert Grant asked for an 18-month sentence, saying Koppisch’s crimes were predatory and methodical.
“She preyed upon victims who were particularly vulnerable,” he said.
She hasn’t attempted to repay a single penny, Grant said. She likely will never be able to pay back all the money she took, he added.
Her client has taken steps to make sure something like this never happens again, public defender Emily Hancock said.
Koppisch found work and remains committed to her mental health treatment, the judge was told.
“She simply wants to pay her debt to the community and move on,” Hancock said.
The YWCA filed a claim with its insurance company, which paid the organization $330,000, according to court records. At the time of her arrest, YWCA sent out a press release, saying Koppisch had passed a background check before she was hired in 2007.
Officials also said they were working to improve internal controls and employee training to prevent fraud.
Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463; hefley@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @dianahefley.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
