Ex-Liquor Commission accountant sentenced for theft of $79,000

CONCORD — A Hebron woman who pleaded guilty to stealing more than $79,000 from the state while working as an accountant for the N.H. Liquor Commission will serve at least six months in jail.

Dorothy “Dotti” Champagne, 52, was sentenced on Tuesday in Merrimack County Superior Court, and read a tearful statement to Judge Richard McNamara.

“I stand before you ashamed and remorseful,” she said. “I made a mistake five years ago that will stay with me for the rest of my life. I always thought I would be able to make it right, but it snowballed.”

Prosecutor Heather Cherniske, of the N.H. Attorney General’s Office, said the case was about the defendant’s abuse of trust. Champagne has worked for the Liquor Commission for 19 years, and was empowered to reimburse customer accounts.

Read more: http://www.citizen.com/news/2016-08-18/Front_Page/ExLiquor_Commission_accountant_sentenced_for_theft.html