Genola clerk who stole funds is sent to jail

PROVO — Traci Wright cried as she apologized to her family and the town of Genola for stealing more than $220,000 during her tenure as town clerk/recorder.

She then said goodbye and was taken into custody to serve 20 days in the Utah County Jail.

"I'm very sorry for what I've done," she told 4th District Judge Steven Hansen, her voice cracking. "I've disappointed so many people. I will work very hard to pay this restitution back."

Hansen acknowledged her remorse but stated that jail was needed in this case.

"There was a tremendous amount of deception and deceit that went on for a long period of time," he said. "(Paying restitution) does not diminish the fact that you violated ... a position of authority and trust."

In September, Wright pleaded guilty to six felonies, including unlawful use of public monies and forgery and, as part of the plea deal, had to pay back $104,000 immediately.

Prosecutor Drew Peters said Wright, 42, would forge signatures on checks then deposit the money into her personal account. She was only charged for checks of more than $5,000.

"This crime involved a huge amount of money to a small town," Peters said. "And this deception went on for years. She did not come forward with this. It was discovered by others, and she was finally investigated."

Other town officials noticed some financial improprieties in the budget and brought them to Mayor Eric Hazelet, who, in turn, contacted the Utah County Attorney's Office.

"She was in a position of trust," Peters said. "She took advantage of that and stole a huge amount of money. We believe there is some jail time that is warranted in this case."

Peters and defense attorney Mike Petro had agreed to recommend to the judge that Wright serve 90 days in jail, with 70 of those on the ankle-monitoring GPS system. Petro asked for the GPS so Wright could continue to make restitution payments on the remaining amount of $124,397.

Wright and her husband paid back the first $104,000 by refinancing their home and, in a few years, Petro said that Wright's lending institution has promised to allow them to refinance some other property and obtain the balance of the restitution.

"The prospects of Genola city recovering all of their money is excellent," Petro said.

Genola Mayor Eric Hazelet said city officials and residents understand and accept the plea deal and are grateful that nearly half of the money has been repaid.

The town now has a professional accountant four hours each week to make sure everything is handled appropriately, Hazelet said.

"We're getting everything in a more formal environment," he said. "(We now have) more checks in place."

Along with serving 20 days in jail, Wright, who has no criminal history, will spend three years on probation and continue to make restitution payments.

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E-mail: sisraelsen@desnews.com

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