Former Gooding County Dairy Bookkeeper Must Pay $664,000 in Restitution

GOODING, Idaho (KLIX)-A Magic Valley woman will spend at least three years behind bars for multiple charges of grand theft after a Gooding County dairy suspected she had been embezzling money as their bookkeeper.

Stephanie Wells was given a maximum sentence Feb. 25, of 14 years in prison on five counts of grand theft and must pay $664,292 in restitution to Box Canyon Dairy. In February of 2019 the dairy alerted Gooding County authorities they suspected Wells of using their money for herself while working as their bookkeeper.

Wells had made it seem as if checks coming to the dairy were being deposited into their account, but instead, Wells had used the money to make payments to a loan the dairy gave her for a home. She also used blank checks from the dairy for her own personal use. Well pleaded guilty to the five counts in late 2019, while the remaining counts of grand theft were dropped.