Former Bookkeeper Gets Jail Time for Stealing $245,000 from Chaplaincy Association

A former bookkeeper for the St. Croix Chaplaincy Association was sentenced to serve about .

Susan Kaye Fredricksen, 65, of Oak Park Heights pleaded guilty to four counts of theft in November after writing herself 277 association checks to the tune of $245,195 from November 2004 to January 2011.

On Wednesday, Judge Mary Hannon ordered Fredricksen to 34 months in prison, that sentence was stayed for 10 years of probation.

Fredricksen was also sentenced to serve one year in jail—180 days behind bars—and the rest of her sentence will be served under electronic home monitoring. She was also ordered to pay $155,824 in restitution to the St. Croix Chaplaincy Association.

Fredricksen paid $80,000 back to the association when she pleaded guilty to four counts of theft in November.

The sentence was an upward departure from the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines.

Messages seeking comment from Fredricksen were not returned on Thursday.

The from the clergy group’s bank accounts.

According to the criminal complaint, Fredricksen was a volunteer for the St. Croix Chaplaincy Association, but was given an annual $1,800 stipend. She had been with the association for four years.

When questioned about the alleged theft, Fredricksen reportedly told police: “I may have spent some money inappropriately.”

Police believe that after withdrawing funds from the savings certificate, Fredricksen deposited the money into the association’s checking account to keep it from becoming insolvent. She then wrote checks to herself and deposited them into her personal checking account at First State Bank and Trust.

In addition to the alleged theft, the association’s director told police that the Minnesota Department of Revenue levied on the Association’s bank account in August 2009 for $1,004.60 in unpaid taxes.

As a bookkeeper, filing tax returns on behalf of the association was reportedly Fredricksen’s responsibility.

The St. Croix Chaplaincy Association is a group comprised of area clergy who provide chaplain services at Stillwater and Bayport nursing homes and Lakeview Hospital. The association receives its funding from churches, nursing homes, Lakeview Hospital and through miscellaneous grants from foundations.