Ex-Walnut Grove city clerk sentenced to prison for embezzlement

Former Walnut Grove City Clerk Cari Gillmore was sentenced to serve time in prison yesterday for embezzling funds from the municipality.

U.S. District Judge Douglas Harpool ordered Gillmore to spend one year and one day in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Gillmore, 45, of Springfield, also is required to pay $66,599 in restitution, according to a news release from the office of Tom Larson, acting U.S. attorney for the Western District of Missouri.

Gillmore pleaded guilty in May to one count of credit card fraud.

In her guilty plea, she admitted to using credit cards issued by the city of Walnut Grove for personal expenses. Without permission by city officials, she made purchases that were unrelated to the business or affairs of the governmental body, according to a news release.

Gillmore made fraudulent credit card transactions of $66,599 from January 2015 until she was fired in June 2016.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Carney and investigated by the FBI and Greene County Sheriff’s Department, according to the release.