Former hospice bookkeeper sentenced for embezzling

MISSOULA, Mont. (AP) -- A judge has sentenced a former Hospice of Missoula
bookkeeper to 2 1/2 years in prison after she admitted to embezzling more than
$171,000 to support a gambling habit.
   The Missoulian reports  that Missoula County District Judge Karen Townsend
 sentenced 43-year-old Sandra Lea Morrison to 20 years with 17 ½ suspended.
Townsend also ordered the 43-year-old Morrison to repay the
$171,579 she stole from the hospice during the four years she worked there.
   Morrison told Townsend that she used to spend an hour to four hours a night,
five nights a week, playing keno at a casino.
   According to court records, Morrison transferred more than $127,000 from
hospice bank accounts to her personal account, issued inflated paychecks
to herself and excessively reimbursed herself for office supplies and vacation time.
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   AP-WF-03-28-12 1452GMT