Naval Academy cashier guilty of theft

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WMAR) - A former Naval Academy Midshipman sore cashier pleaded guilty today to theft of government property, arising from a scheme to steal money from the Midshipman Store.

According to the plea agreement, Mary Catherine Lewis, 43, between 2005 and 2010, while her husband was assigned to the U.S. Naval Academy as a chief petty officer, Lewis worked as a cashier in the store.

Lewis was responsible for the returns register, where customers would return items for exchange, cash or credit refunds.

Lewis used a series of fraudulent refund transactions to steal money.  Lewis would credit money from a refund that did not take place, frequently, because no sale had preceded the refund, to credit an account in one of the names of her children or husband, accounts she had opened without their knowledge.

An audit of the store transactions associated with Lewis dating back to 2005 revealed more than $85,000 in fraudulent refunds that were credited to the family accounts.

She also executed fraudulent refunds in which she pocketed cash from fake refunds or by failing to properly register the sale of items for which customers paid cash, thereby stealing an additional $40,000 to $165,000.

Lewis faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. As part of the plea agreement, Lewis has agreed to pay $125,000 in restitution.

Lewis is scheduled for sentencing on May 31, 2012.