VELDA CITY, Mo. (AP) - A suburban St. Louis woman admitted in federal court on Friday that she stole about $400,000 while serving as a town treasurer and another $156,000 from a charity where she worked.
Venita Sedodo, 32, of St. Charles, pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud and two counts of mail fraud. She could face up to 20 years in prison at sentencing on May 28. She also must pay back the stolen funds.
Sedodo worked as treasurer for Velda City, a community of 1,400 residents in St. Louis County, from November 2015 through October 2018. Federal prosecutors said she issued around 90 unauthorized checks to herself and made unauthorized wire payments for items purchased from Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and elsewhere.
Sedodo also worked for a charity that provides financial aid to the deaf and hearing impaired. She used a fraudulent scheme to obtain scholarship money that she and others used for personal use and expenses.
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