Wisconsin bookkeeper facing 45 felony charges related to embezzling from employer

ASHLAND, Wis. (CBS 58) -- A Wisconsin woman is charged with 45 felonies which includes theft greater than $10,000, forgery, and filing false income tax returns.

Jill Kozita of Ashland allegedly embezzled from her employer while she was working as a bookeeper.

According to the criminal complaint, Kozitza wrote unauthorized checks to herself from her employer's accounts, forged the owner's signature, and then concealed the actual payee of the check by altering the records in the employer's accounting program.

From March 2014 to March 2018, Kozitza wrote more than 140 unauthorized checks to herself totaling $228,822.

In addition, Kozitza filed false income tax returns for the years 2013 - 2017 by omitting taxable income. The amount of income Kozitza failed to report ranges from $24,821 to $105,082 per year. The source of the income was from either embezzlement, gambling winnings, or wages from other part-time employment, or a combination of the three, depending on the year.

Criminal charges were filed by the Ashland County District Attorney on September 27, 2018 following an investigation by the Wisconsin Department of Revenue's Office of Criminal Investigation.