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Sentencing Aug. 3 in $1.2 million theft
McCOOK, Neb. -- A local woman accused of stealing more than $1.2 million from her employer withdrew a previous not guilty plea and pleaded guilty to felony theft recently in Red Willow County District Court.
The offender, 54-year-old Trina L. Hoyt of Culbertson, Nebraska, will subsequently face sentencing on a Class 3 felony offense for theft by unlawful taking. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Aug. 3, 2015, in Red Willow County District Court.
The charge filed against Hoyt stems from 26 checks she fraudulently wrote on the account of Tri-State Livestock Commission to her husband, Nathan Hoyt, between January 2012 and December 2013. According to court documents, the checks falsely claimed to be for cattle sold and combined to equal $814,451.
The theft was brought to the attention of law enforcement by Hoyt's employer, Gayle Ruggles, who claimed she stole more than $1.2 million over a four year period between 2010 and 2013. Ruggles and his accountant, Dan Miller, identified suspected embezzlement of $178,903 in 2010; $259,113 in 2011; $313,717 in 2012; and $500,969 in 2013. Ruggles said he became suspicious after he was told his business lost money in 2013.
Investigators subsequently cited a 3-year statue of limitations for embezzlement and theft, however, and did not include the 2010 or 2011 accusations as part of their investigation.
The investigation focused on more than 30 accordion files containing documentation related to Tri-State cattle sale transactions. Investigators concluded Hoyt issued 26 checks without supporting invoices, after issuing Nebraska Beef Council checks for fewer cattle sales and in some instances issuing checks on days no cattle sale took place.
Ruggles told investigators he had filed a civil suit against the Hoyts and another civil suit had been filed against them in Hitchcock County by the Lapp family. A 2014 Gazette story focused on the Lapp suit is available online at: www.mccookgazette.com/story/2075549.html
According to court documents, Ruggles said he confronted Hoyt after discovering the theft and she admitted to issuing checks without actually selling cattle. He told investigators he had been waiting on a civil settlement in regard to the missing money but another civil judgement had been placed in front of his.
Investigators determined the endorsement signatures on the fraudulent checks strongly resembled that of Trina Hoyt, based on signatures from Department of Motor Vehicles records and civil paperwork front the Nebraska Criminal Justice Information System.
Hoyt originally pleaded not guilty to the charge in May before reversing her plea earlier this month.
In Nebraska, Class 3 felony offenses carry a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment and a $25,000 fine, with a minimum sentence of one year imprisonment. A sentence of probation is also possible.