La Plata, MD – Lisa Lorraine Perna, 50 of Hollywood, MD, faced sentencing for a theft scheme where she bilked her employer out of $45,000 over a five-year period.
Despite the fact that Perna provided the court with a cashier’s check totaling $35,000 in restitution–a move that may have kept her out of jail for an extended period of time–the action did not keep Charles County Circuit Court Judge Helen I. Harrington from giving her jail time.
Charles County Assistant State’s Attorney Jonathan Beattie detailed how Perna was able to steal from her employers, Plan Check, over a five-year period, filing false insurance claims.
“When nobody checked, she started going further,” Beattie said.
Beattie pointed out that Peerna’s schemes were multi-faceted.
“This was not a simple theft,” he explained, adding, “this was a continuous course of conduct. She violated a position of trust. She was able to make a payment toward restitution today, but the reality is, any sentence less than 30 days would be inappropriate.”
Perna’s attorney, Patrick Devine, told the court that his client was going through a divorce about the time she began working for Plan Check and had two young children, ages 6 and 12, who she was raising alone. He said the owner of the business initiated a relationship with his client when she began working there, a relationship she eventually broke off.
“Her employer still allowed her to run her daughters’ braces through his insurance,” Devine noted. “She absolutely took advantage of the situation. She made mistakes. She hadn’t been able to work for a year and a half but she has still been able to raise $35,000 toward restitution.”
Perna told the court she had just gotten divorced and was trying to raise two kids.
“I’ve disappointed by family, my friends, my co-workers,” she said, apologizing for any “harm and hurt” she may have caused.
“It has been the experience of this court that once someone crosses the line, it isn’t the last time,” Harrington told the defendant. “Millions of mothers go through divorce and raise their children without stealing from others. I flat out reject your excuses. It’s really too bad. This went on for too long.”
Harrington then sentenced Perna to 15 years of incarceration, suspending all but 30 days, and placed the defendant on five years of supervised probation upon her release, ordered her to provide a DNA sample and submit to a mental health evaluation.
The judge further imposed that Perna will not be allowed to handle money or accounts while she is on probation.
“If it was up to me, she would be going to the Maryland House of Corrections,” Harrington said.
Contact Joseph Norris at joe.norris@thebaynet.com