Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties

Former Ironwood Township treasurer admits embezzlement, forgery

By RALPH ANSAMI

[email protected]

Bessemer — Former Ironwood Township Treasurer Jyl Olson-DeRosso entered guilty or no contest pleas in Gogebic County Circuit Court Tuesday to 10 charges regarding the embezzlement and forgery of township funds.

Gogebic County Circuit Court Judge Michael Pope set a restitution hearing for 9 a.m. on May 1 and sentencing for 2:30 p.m. on May 14.

Olson-DeRosso admitted Tuesday to writing personal checks from the township to herself and embezzling between $100,000 and $200,000.

A trial had been previously scheduled to begin on May 1.

Gogebic County Prosecutor Nick Jacobs said after the plea hearing that he had been prepared to go to trial with a strong case against the former treasurer.

“This is not just about Jyl Olson-DeRosso, but the victims in Ironwood Township and the county,” Jacobs said out of the courtroom after the 30-minute plea hearing.

He said he is looking forward to the restitution hearing.

Pope read the charges one by one and Olson-DeRosso, 47, entered guilty pleas to five counts of forgery, embezzlement by a public official, using public money for her own use and diversion of taxes or public money by a public official. She entered no contest pleas to refusing to turn over records to a successor and removal and destruction of public records.

Each forgery charge carries a potential maximum sentence of 14 years in prison and the embezzlement charge carries a possible sentence of up to 10 years. The other charges carry lesser terms.

The charges against Olson-DeRosso stem from 2011 to November 2016.

When announcing the charges, Jacobs alleged she took a total of $196,862 from two township funds over the five-year period.

The township later hired a company to conduct a forensic audit of township finances in an effort to determine the full financial scope of the losses.

Defense attorney James McKenzie and Jacobs arrived at a one-page plea agreement that did not include a sentencing recommendation.

Olson-DeRosso testified no promises had been made to her regarding the potential sentencing by Pope.

During Pope’s questioning, it was determined that Olson-DeRosso wrote checks to herself of $141, $662, $848, $450 and $758.

Regarding the embezzlement, she said no else had monitored the township’s financial accounts when she was committing the crimes.

A pre-sentence investigation was ordered.

 
 
Rendered 03/25/2024 07:04