GALVESTON, Texas (AP) _ A personal aide to a now-former Southeast Texas mayor has been sentenced to 10 years of probation for embezzling more than $360,000 from the city leader.
Prosecutors in Galveston say Mary Louise Castano stole from then-Galveston Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas. Castano must also repay nearly $160,000 as part of her guilty plea to felony theft.
Thomas was Galveston’s mayor from 2004 to May 2010. Investigators say Castano worked for Thomas from late 2004 through early 2012.
Castano was indicted in September 2012 and accused of making unauthorized cash withdrawals and credit card purchases from her employer’s personal accounts.
Attorneys for Castano, who was sentenced Tuesday, say she has filed for bankruptcy and is unable to repay the full amount stolen from Thomas.