Guilty plea in school theft

0 Comments | Philadelphia Inquirer, The, February, 2008 | by Mari A. Schaefer Inquirer Staff Writer

If you listen to Delaware County prosecutors, Carol P. Ackley is a clever woman who exploited the weakness in the Ridley School District accounting system and embezzled more than $570,000 in six years. If you listen to her defense attorney, the 57-year-old mother of three is a sick, compulsive gambler who is addicted to video poker, has never been in trouble before, and is remorseful for what she has done.

What is not in dispute is the mountain of evidence found during an investigation - 269 checks totaling $573,792, all made payable to the former payroll coordinator who made $39,000 a year. Yesterday, just over a month since her arrest, Ackley pleaded guilty to charges of theft, unlawful use of computers, forgery and identity theft, and waived a sentencing...