![Sauk Rapids Woman Pleads Guilty to Theft-by Swindle Charges](http://townsquare.media/site/67/files/2016/11/Cathrine-Murray.jpg?w=630&h=420&zc=1&s=0&a=t&q=89&w=980&q=75)
Sauk Rapids Woman Pleads Guilty to Theft-by Swindle Charges
ST. CLOUD -- A former employee at a Waite Park car dealership has pleaded guilty to five counts of theft-by-swindle charges in Stearns County Court.
Forty-one-year-old Catherine Murray was charged with six counts of theft-by-swindle in November 2016. Murray was accused of taking the money from the McKay's dealership between September 2014 and December 2015.
Murray accepted a plea agreement in court Tuesday. The agreement calls for of the remaining charge to be dropped.
According to the criminal complaint, Murray would issue checks to herself and use a signature stamp from her superior to cash those checks. Murray was also accused of keeping customer payments by creating false receipts that the payments had been made.
Investigators say Murray admitted to taking more than $105,000 and giving the money to another person who needed to pay the IRS before receiving their inheritance.
An audit of the company's records showed Murray allegedly took nearly $520,000 during that time period.
Murray will be sentenced May 31st.
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