By Rae Yost, Forest City Summit

FOREST CITY, Iowa — Christine Mathahs, former business manager of the Lake Mills School District, used to give presentations to other school business managers about how to prevent theft — while she was stealing from her own school district.

Mathahs, 45, was sentenced Tuesday in Winnebago County District Court in Forest City to up to 10 years in prison on charges of first-degree theft and felonious misconduct for stealing $237,101.19 from the district from 2005 to 2010.

Mathahs pleaded guilty to the charges on Feb. 7.

Mathahs was sentenced to up 10 years on the theft charge and up to five years on the felonious misconduct charge. The sentences will be served concurrently.

She must also pay $37,101.19 in restitution to the district. The school’s insurance covered $200,000 of the loss.

“You were teaching seminars on how to prevent stealing funds from schools?” Winnebago County Attorney Adam Sauer asked Christine Mathahs in court.

“Yes,” Mathahs said.

“Did it ever cross your mind that it was wrong,” Sauer asked about Mathahs’ theft.

“It should have,” Mathahs said.

But it did not occur to her what she was doing was wrong, she said.

While Mathahs said in court she could not explain why she stole from the school for five years, she was “sorry for what I’ve done. I want to make sure it’s very clear how sorry I am and how remorseful I am for everything.”

Mathahs and her attorney, Mark Newman of Forest City, said she was determined to pay full restitution to the school and needed to be home with her three children because she was their primary caregiver.

Their father, Mathahs’ husband Larry Mathahs, works many hours and is not as nurturing as Mathahs, Newman and Mathahs said in court.

Former North Iowa School District Superintendent of Schools Larry Hill, a member of Mathahs’ church and a witness for the defense, said Mathahs was saddened by what her crime did to her family, friends and the community.

Hill also said Mathahs’ husband cared deeply about his children but could not be as nurturing or fill Mathahs’ role in the family.

Newman asked District Court Judge Colleen Weiland for a deferred sentence and probation instead of a prison term for Mathahs. A deferred sentence means Mathahs would not serve prison time.

Sauer said the crime justified sending Mathahs to prison and her sentence should not be suspended or deferred.

“She was using taxpayer money to have a higher standard of living,” Sauer said. “It was a five-year spending spree.”

Weiland said Mathahs was unlikely to serve the 10 years. “For that I am relieved and not disappointed,” Weiland said.

Weiland said although Mathahs qualified for deferred judgment consideration, has no criminal history and the arguments made about the need for her to be with her children were compelling, she must also consider the need to deter others from such a crime

“The scope of the theft is breathtaking,” Weiland said.

Mathahs stole from the school district and the community who trusted her, Weiland said.

“… I can’t justify a suspended sentence,” Weiland said.

Lake Mills School Board President Ryan Joynt said after the sentencing the crime was “breathtaking. When we first heard the total amount it was very breathtaking,” Joynt said. “We were almost in awe.”

Joynt said he was satisfied with the sentence given by Weiland.

“There is just no happy ending to this crime,” Lake Mills School District Superintendent Daryl Sherman said after the hearing. “I am pleased with the restitution.”

Mathahs said in court she was willing to do whatever it took to pay the restitution.

Mathahs said about 60 percent to 65 percent of the the stolen money was used to pay late fees, over charges and late fees on credit card debt she had accumulated since the mid-1990s

Newman said Mathahs is committed to paying the restitution and knows she will be living with her crime for the rest of her life.

“She’s chained herself with a burden more burdensome than a prison chain can be,” Newman said.