A judge has jailed a woman for a "nefarious scheme" in which she stole almost $186,000 from her employer.
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Megan Lee Featherby, 45, was sentenced in the County Court on Friday to two years' imprisonment with a minimum term of one year for obtaining financial advantage by deception.
She was also convicted and fined $500 for possessing methamphetamine and fined $200 without conviction for possessing cannabis.
Featherby was employed as an office assistant at a family-owned Carisbrook business when she made 195 unauthorised transactions amounting to $185,921.55 from the business to three of her personal accounts.
The offending started in October 2015 and was discovered in June 2016 when the business' bank alerted the owners to the transactions.
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Judge Douglas Trapnell said it was particularly concerning that Featherby's offending continued after the business owners noticed a $3300 transaction to her account, which she said was a mistake and reversed.
Another aggravating feature of Featherby's crime, Judge Trapnell said, was her efforts to conceal it by labelling the transactions as being to existing customers of the business.
He described the Maryborough woman's conduct towards her employer as a "gross breach of trust".
Judge Trapnell was also scathing when it came to lies Featherby told about one of the business owners, saying it indicated she had no remorse.
In victim impact statements, the business owners described the physical, mental and emotional toll the crimes had taken.
"It will be years of extra work to get back on keel," the father of one victim said.
The drugs were found when police searched Featherby's home while investigating her crimes.
Judge Trapnell said Featherby looked after her ailing mother and had health conditions, both of which would affect her if imprisoned.
He also noted a report detailing mental health issues, but was not satisfied any condition would have contributed to her offending, nor were they so serious as to put her at risk in prison.
While she was regretful for the impact of her offending on herself and her mother, Judge Trapnell said, she did not suggest evidence of true contrition.
While her defence counsel opposed a compensation order on the basis she would not be able to pay it, the judge ordered her to pay $182,621.55, the total still outstanding from her illegal transactions.
Featherby had served 31 days of her sentence at the time of sentencing.
Judge Trapnell said Featherby would have faced a three-year prison sentence with a non-parole period of two years if not for her guilty plea.
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