Helena embezzler gets 75 months

By Eve Byron - 09/17/2008

HELENA — A woman with the "dubious honor" of embezzling the largest amount of money in the state of Montana's history will spend the next

75 months behind bars.

Susan Campbell, 58, was sentenced in federal court Tuesday for stealing $739,312 from the state of Montana while an

accountant for the state Department of Administration. She also defrauded the Internal Revenue Service of $234,554, for a total of $973,866.

She was ordered to pay back all $973,866 as part of her sentence.

Campbell tearfully apologized to her family, to her former co-workers, and to the people of Montana for the thefts, saying she put in 26 years of honest work at the state, only to throw it away while trying to help her son, Patrick Brownback, 33, with his gambling

problem.

"I destroyed that faith and trust for a member of my family who convinced me if I didn't help him he would perish," Campbell said.

The guideline range for sentencing on two of the charges — defrauding the state and income tax evasion — was 41 to 51 months, since Campbell has no previous criminal history. However, the third charge of identity theft, for cashing checks she made out to her husband's business

allegedly without his knowledge, has a mandatory sentence of two years that must be served consecutively to the first two charges.

Sheryl Olson, deputy director of the Department of Administration, worked with Campbell for 22 years, and bestowed upon her the "dubious honor" distinction as Olson spoke at the sentencing Tuesday as a public official on behalf of state taxpayers. Olson decried Campbell's actions as a betrayal of trust to every taxpayer in Montana, as well as to those who worked beside her every day and state employees in general.

"The money

Ms. Campbell stole would have supported 19 households in Montana for a year. It would have provided health insurance for

422 uninsured Montana

children for a year. It would have sent 45 Montana

students to college for a year," Olson said, her voice tinged with anger. "This is an affront to every Montana citizen who believes that their government exists to serve the needs of its

people.

"Ms. Campbell also betrayed every public

servant who works for the state of Montana. As a state employee, we have to perpetually earn and maintain the taxpayers' respect and trust. What she has done has smeared the reputation for all of us."

Olson talked about how Campbell would bring birthday cakes and ask about

co-workers' children, even as she was stealing their computer passwords and

making out checks to her husband's business for work never requested nor

completed.

"The blast of silence from her co-workers when learning of her betrayal in June of 2007 was

deafening," Olson said as Campbell hung her head and dabbed at tears. "She betrayed those who counted her as a friend. She betrayed me. As a result of her betrayal, she has

created a legacy of shame."

As part of that legacy, the state is holding trainings on fraud prevention awareness for its employees. The governor's office has formed a task force on internal controls, and state policies are being rewritten. In addition, the legislative auditor's office is

conducting an audit of the Department of Administration focusing on the methods of embezzlement used by Campbell.