Law Firm Fire Insurance Probe Leads to Theft Charges Against 2 Legal Secretaries
Two employees of a small North Carolina law firm are facing criminal charges, after an insurance investigation of a January 2012 fire there uncovered evidence of alleged thefts from their employer.
Kelly Renee Jones was charged Monday with 19 counts of larceny by employee, and Jacqualynn Donna Stroud was charged with 12 counts of embezzlement, the Winston-Salem Journal reports. Both are accused of being involved in improper transactions concerning the law firm’s trust account and were released on $5,000 bond.
Attorney Wade Leonard, for whom they worked in Mocksville, is not accused of any wrongdoing in the Davie County case. The law firm’s property insurance company referred the claim over the fire, determined to have been an arson, to the state department of insurance, which launched the criminal case. Its press release provides additional details.
