Nebraska Woman Sentenced to 10 Months for $300K-Plus Theft from Employer

An accountant accused of embezzling from the Nebraska Rural Electric Association has been sent to prison.

Federal prosecutors say 42-year-old Sarah Batenhorst, of Lincoln, was sentenced to 10 months and ordered to pay restitution of nearly $344,000. She’d pleaded guilty to wire fraud.

Court documents say that between March 1, 2011, and Jan. 31, 2016, Batenhorst defrauded the association by several means, including adjusting account ledgers to raise her salary for 2014, 2015 and 2016.

The association is a nonprofit organization for utilities providing electric service in rural areas and small towns in the state.