BANGOR, Maine — The conviction of a former court system employee who attempted to steal state funds then tried to cover it up was upheld unanimously Tuesday by the Maine Supreme Judicial Court.
Danielle A. Beckwith, 49, of Hampden, who worked as the supervisor of the Office of Transcript Production, located at the Penobscot Judicial Center in Bangor, was found guilty June 30, 2014, of one count of attempted theft by deception and two counts of tampering with public records after a four-hour, jury-waived trial.
She was sentenced a month later to serve 60 days in jail, but the imposition of the sentence was stayed pending the outcome of her appeal.
Once the law court’s decision is mailed to Beckwith’s attorney by employees at the Penobscot Judicial Center, she will have three days to make arrangements to begin serving her sentence at the Penobscot County Jail, according to Assistant Attorney General Leanne Robbin, who prosecuted Beckwith.
The justices heard oral arguments in the case April 8 at the Cumberland County Courthouse in Portland.
Beckwith’s attorney for the appeal, Kaylee Folster of Bangor, argued that the evidence was insufficient to convict her. The justices disagreed.
Writing for the court, Justice Jeffrey Hjelm said that her conduct “falls within the plan language of [the statute].”
Robbin called the justices’ decision an “excellent analysis” of the case.
Efforts to reach Folster were unsuccessful Tuesday afternoon.
Beckwith was charged in July 2013. The conduct that led to the charges occurred Oct. 10 and 17, 2012, according to the complaint.
Because of possible conflicts of interest, retired District Court Judge John V. Romei, who presided in Washington County for 21 years, handled the case in Newport District Court.
At her trial, Beckwith took the stand in her own defense and denied she was trying to steal from the court system.
In a tape played for Romei at her trial, Beckwith told Detective Peter Lizanecz, an investigator with the Maine attorney general’s office, she received a phone call from a man who identified himself by name demanding a large refund for overpayment for the production of a transcript. She told the detective she did not investigate who he was until after the refund check was issued.
Beckwith’s oldest child goes by the same name as the caller, the defendant and others testified. The refund check for $2,750, which never was cashed, was made out to that name.
She testified she put through the paperwork for the refund assuming she eventually would find the supporting documents.
In sentencing Beckwith, Romei admonished her for not taking responsibility for her actions and for lying on the stand.
“The biggest aggravating factor is that the defendant perjured herself,” the judge said. “Her testimony was preposterous.”
Beckwith was hired as a court reporter July 9, 1990. She left that position on Dec. 12, 1995, but was rehired as a transcriber on July 11, 2005. She was promoted to supervisor on July 28, 2008. Her employment officially ended Nov. 21, 2012,
On Oct. 10, 2004, Beckwith was charged with theft by unauthorized taking, a Class E crime, according to court documents. She pleaded no contest Jan. 27, 2005, and paid a $200 fine.