Former accountant ordered to pay back $125,000 she stole from Sunshine Daycare in Gillett
The former in-house accountant for Sunshine Daycare in Gillett must pay back $125,651.93 in restitution after she was sentenced Nov. 20 for theft in a business setting.
Shannon R. Tuchscherer, 50, of Gillett, was ordered by Judge Jay Conley to serve two years in prison, followed by three years of extended supervision. The repayment plan will begin one month after she is released from prison.
Tuchscherer entered a no-contest plea on Aug. 28 to the charge, where with assorted surcharges bring the total owed to $145,127.98.
Tuchscherer admitted to Gillett police that she took money to pay for her mortgage and to support her drug habit, according to the criminal complaint.
The theft began to unravel when a bank notified the director of the day care that it had several overdrawn business accounts.
Peshtigo National Bank reported on Jan. 10 that the day care had not made any cash deposits in more than a year while in the past two months nearly $8,000 in unauthorized checks were made. Discrepancies date back to 2021, according to the bank.
When informed that evidence showed discrepancies going back years, Tuchscherer told police that thefts happened periodically, the complaint said. She said she had been keeping track of the amount and had paid back some of what she had taken.
Tuchscherer said she would note the payback made via her own personal checks in the deposit book with entries listed as “Spbihms,” which stood for “Shannon paid back I hate myself sorry.”
Tuchscherer said she started taking small amounts of money from the day care’s petty cash fund, with the intention of paying it back, according to the criminal complaint.
Oconto County District Attorney Hannah Schuchart said the $125,651.93 restitution figure was determined after continued research by the bank and the day care's new bookkeeper, even though Tuchscherer "vehemently disputed" an earlier estimate of around $20,000.
Schuchart said it was likely that the amount is even higher, but records from July to October 2021 were more difficult to access because the bank had switched to a different system, so the day care settled on the restitution figure "because in the end it would likely not make a difference in terms of the amount they would see paid back."
Among the conditions of her extended supervision is Tuchscherer must complete any recommended treatment and counseling, maintain absolute sobriety and get a full-time job.
Contact Kevin Dittman at 920-431-8416 or kdittman@gannett.com.
UPDATE: An earlier version of this story incorrectly said bank records had destroyed.
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This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Judge orders accountant to repay $125,000 stolen from Gillett day care
