West Fargo woman sentenced for stealing from former employer

FARGO, N.D. (KVRR/KFGO) — A West Fargo woman has been sentenced after entering an Alford plea for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from her Fargo employer.

Mary Peterson admitted there would be enough evidence to convict her of embezzling nearly $830,000 from Lunde Auto, if the case went to trial.

Court records say Peterson took the money over a seven year period beginning in 2015 while she was in charge of making cash deposits for the business.

Peterson told investigators she used it for gambling and daily expenses.

The judge handed down a 20-year suspended sentence. Peterson will serve 90 days in jail with credit for time served.