Former Idaho city clerk sentenced after defrauding city of nearly $200K

A U.S. district judge sentenced a former Idaho city clerk to more than a year in prison after she stole nearly $200,000 from the city of New Plymouth.

Danielle Painter, 41, worked as the city clerk/treasurer for the city for more than 10 years from 2012 to 2023, according to a news release and court documents. Starting in 2017, she began using city credit cards for personal expenses, such as retail and restaurant purchases, along with utility, rent and medical expenses.

In the city’s internal accounting system, Painter entered many of the expenses as “professional services.” In her role, she was responsible for recording credit card charges in the city’s system and issuing electronic credit card payments, the news release said.

Painter pleaded guilty earlier this year to wire fraud.

U.S. District Judge Amanda K. Brailsford mandated that Painter pay the $196,947 in restitution and serve three years of supervised release after her 15-month sentence.