It was decided Tuesday in the First Division of the Circuit Court of Union County that Diana E. Franklin, 41, of El Dorado will face trial in a case where she is alleged to have stolen over $50,000 from her employer.
Franklin is facing charges of second-degree forgery, fraudulent use of a credit card in an amount greater than $25,000 and theft of property valued at more than $25,000 after being accused by her former employer of stealing from the company.
According to court documents, in a year and a half period during her employment with Dixie Air Corporation, the company’s financial situation gradually deteriorated, prompting the owner’s son to investigate the financial records.
It was then that he realized unauthorized charges in excess of $50,000 had been made on company credit cards. A victim statement presented to the court Tuesday alleges that the total financial damage to the business owner was about $200,000.
The victim statement may have been the deciding factor in whether Franklin was offered a plea deal for the alleged crimes. In the statement, the victim says that two prosecutors attempted to make plea agreements with Franklin; he said he wrote the statement in order to voice his objection to the deals.
According to the victim’s letter, charges were made on company cards for items like video games, sporting goods and groceries each month. The victim also alleges that Franklin funded vacations, shopping sprees and paid personal bills with company money.
“We are 74- and 73-years old citizens of this town. We have worked for over 60 years, most of our lives,” the victim statement reads. “I trusted Ms. Franklin and believed all the lies she used.”
In an email correspondence, Deputy Prosecutor Spencer Singleton said that based on the direction of the court, Franklin’s case will be set for trial. No trial date has been set yet.
Caitlan Butler can be reached at 870-862-6611 or [email protected].