An ex-FBI employee in Indiana pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court in Hammond in connection with the theft of about $80,000 in evidence from the agency’s storage vault, according to the website nwi.com.
Melissa Sims, 36, of Lowell,Ind., who worked as a evidence control technician at the bureau’s Merrillville office in the Hoosier state, oversaw inventory of items seized during investigations, the website reported.
In court, a teary eyed Sims, according to nwi. com, described her scheme, saying:
“They would do an electronic communication to me saying, OK, these items can be returned. I would keep the items myself and put on the FD-192 form that it had been returned.”
Authorities say Sims stole cash evidence — ranging from $2 to $2,790 and asked a witness to lie about where the money came from, the website reported. She ended up pleading guilty to making false statements and must pay restitution in the tens of thousands of dollar, the wesbite reported.
Sentencing is set for June 1.
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