EVERETT – The former business manager for the Everett Events Center was sentenced to a year in prison Tuesday for stealing more than $150,000 in public money.
Cathy Lynn Reece, 48, of Arlington earlier pleaded guilty to five counts of first-degree theft. She is accused of skimming large sums of money from the Events Center between August and October 2005.
Reece was the center’s business manager from November 2003 to October 2005. She took a medical leave after surgery and accountants uncovered “severe irregularities” in the books, according to court papers.
Reece on Tuesday told Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Thomas Wynne she wanted to “sincerely apologize” for her misdeeds.
Before she was led away to begin serving her sentence, the judge told Reece she had abused a position of trust.
There has been no accounting for what Reece did with the money she stole, Wynne said, but he said the law required that she be held accountable.
The sentence he imposed was in keeping with state guidelines and a recommendation from prosecutors. In addition, Wynne ordered Reece to repay the money she stole.
She owes $150,089, and will be charged 12 percent annual interest.
To pay back that much within a decade, the judge calculated that Reece will have to come up with a minimum of $1,250 a month.
The events center is publicly owned, and the Everett Public Facilities District manages its affairs. Reece worked for Global Spectrum, a company that under contract manages the center and similar venues across the United States and Canada.
Under the contract with the events center, Global Spectrum was responsible for repaying the money stolen by Reece, officials said.
Reporter Scott North: 425-339-3431 or north@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
