Cops: Law firm worker Sharon Lynne Samples stole $241K

A Forsyth County woman is accused of stealing $241,000 from the law firm where she worked to pay her personal bills.

Sharon Lynne Samples, 48, of Cumming, allegedly took the money during a two-and-a-half year period while she worked at the Lipscomb, Johnson, Sleister, Dailey & Smith firm, according to a police report obtained by the AJC.

"During the last couple of years, the firm began to struggle somewhat financially and several employees schedules and salaries had to be adjusted," the Cumming police report states. "Some time later, staff began looking into the financial state of the firm and discovered unexplained monies missing."

An audit of the firm's finances, performed by an outside company, indicated thefts by Samples, totaling $241,722.41, began approximately in February 2008 and ended in August 2010, according to police. Samples allegedly stole the money by writing checks from the firm's account to pay personal bills, paying herself twice, using checks made out to the firm's creditors to pay her personal debts, and electronically paying personal bills from the firm's account.

A partner in the firm who contacted police July 19 said none of the transactions were authorized, the report states. When the law firm contacted her, Samples allegedly admitted she took the money and offered to pay it back, but has not done so at the time of the report.

Samples was arrested July 31 and booked into the Forsyth County jail, where she remained for less than five hours before posting $60,362 bond, a spokeswoman for the jail told the AJC.