FARGO (trfnews.i234.me) – A West Fargo woman has been charged with theft after allegedly embezzling nearly $830,000 from her employer, Lunde Auto, between 2015 and early 2022.
According to court records, Mary Peterson, who was responsible for handling cash deposits, was terminated in 2022 after the general manager discovered the missing funds. The issue surfaced in January 2022 when the company’s accounting firm identified significant discrepancies in a bank account. An additional investigation revealed Peterson had altered bank statements to conceal the theft.
Records state Peterson admitted to depositing stolen funds into her personal bank account in increments of $4,000 to $5,000 to avoid detection. She claimed the money was used for online gambling, lottery tickets, bingo, and personal expenses. Peterson also confessed that the embezzlement ended when she was caught.
Peterson is currently being held in the Cass County Jail with a bond set at $100,000.
I’m Chris Harper reporting for trfnews.i234.me