Former utilities worker gets 90 days in jail 14 years of probation

A judge sentenced a 69-year-old Colorado Springs woman to 90 days in jail Monday as partial punishment for stealing almost a half-million dollars from Colorado Springs Utilities.

Donna Inzer, a former 35-year Utilities employee and head cashier, previously pleaded guilty to felony theft for embezzling $437,000 from the city-owned utility. The plea was part of an agreement with prosecutors that 4th Judicial District Judge Larry Schwartz said was "extremely favorable" and "one of the best I've seen."

"I'm going to impose the full 90 days in jail as pure punishment," Schwartz said.

Inzer gave the court a check for $113,000 Monday, which her attorney, Lindsey Topper, said she refinanced her house to get.

Other conditions of her 14-year supervised probation include:

That Inzer perform 1,100 hours of community service

That she pay $5,000 in restitution for the first four years of her probation, then $2,000 per month after that.

That Inzer not gamble while she's on probation.

That she continue with mental health counseling.

If Inzer fails to comply with any of the conditions of her probation, Schwartz issued a suspended five-year prison sentence that could be imposed.

Inzer apologized to the court, Utilities officials and employees, her family and friends.

"I know what I did was wrong," Inzer said. "I'm so sorry to the employees I put in harm's way. Some of them could have been suspended or lost their jobs because of my actions."

Inzer told Schwartz she was "terrified" of jail and pleaded with him to let her serve home detention.

"I can't say I don't deserve the punishment," she said. "But I've acted in good faith to make it right."

Inzer used a "lapping scheme" to rip off Utilities. She would take money paid on one account, then use the money paid on other accounts to cover the balance. When she got caught, 18 companies' accounts showed they had not paid their bills. Utilities' insurance company paid for the losses except a $15,000 deductable.

City Auditor Jeff Litchfield told Schwartz that Inzer's was a particularly heinous crime because of the level of trust Inzer had earned from her supervisors and the employees under her, who thought she was helping them.

"She took advantage of that," Litchfield said, urging Schwartz to send her to jail.

Deputy District Attorney Jim Bentley said most of the stolen money went to casinos. He pointed to a chart that showed how her gambling activity increased when money was taken. He showed Schwartz tapes of video surveillance where Inzer came into the office on a Sunday and appeared to be destroying evidence.

"If you don't send her to jail, that's like saying it's OK for public employees to steal if they pay it back," Bentley said.

Topper called psychologist Francis Barron Jr. to testify. Barron began seeing Inzer more than a year ago, after she attempted suicide.

Barron said Inzer was "severely depressed" because her husband, former Colorado Springs firefighter Gene Inzer, was an alcoholic. He died in 2006.

Her "desire to get away from that intolerable situation" led her to gamble, Barron said.

"It was compulsive behavior ... an addition driven by anxiety and depression," Barron said. "She couldn't stop what she was doing."

Inzer told Schwartz gambling was "like taking a drug."

"Your situation was tragic, but it didn't give you the right to steal from anyone," Schwartz said.

Inzer was led from the courtroom in handcuffs.