A former Burns Funeral Home secretary in Hobart got 2.5 years probation Thursday in a plea deal after stealing $122,000 between January 2019 and April 2024.
Kathleen Farmer, 63, of Crown Point, pleaded guilty to theft, a level 6 felony.
Court records alleged she issued receipts and took the cash payments that customers made for funeral services.
During the investigation, she told police she didn’t know how much money she stole. When asked what she did with the money, Farmer told police she was “living on it.”
The funeral home discovered it as they started to go through their books starting in October 2023, with the intention of sending collection notices to families who hadn’t settled their accounts.
On Thursday, Patrick Burns, a company vice president, told the court that the family wanted to take the case to trial.
Deputy Prosecutor Jacob Brandewie said, while he was sympathetic, the punishment would have been similar had she gotten convicted. They suspected she may have stolen more money, but couldn’t prove it.
A forensic audit concluded $209,000 went missing, court documents show.
Defense lawyer Michael Campbell argued she would be a convicted felon and repay about $11,000 in restitution. An insurance settlement paid about $100,000, he said.
“They were very good to me and I violated that trust,” Farmer told the court.
Court records state she was hired in 2014 and had a $38,000 salary.
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