Waukesha woman who stole from meal sites gets prison term

Published on: 6/13/2011

Waukesha - A former Waukesha County account clerk who stole more than $300,000 donated by senior citizens for their meals at 12 nutrition sites was sentenced Monday to five years in prison.

Kham Sisaleumsak, who told authorities she gambled away the money, was charged in February 2010 with 13 counts of felony theft in a business setting.

The criminal charges against Sisaleumsak, 45, of Waukesha, covered six years and the theft of $277,000. But she was stealing money longer than that, Assistant District Attorney Mary C. Brejcha said, and the amount totaled about $380,000.

The statute of limitations prevented the state from charging for earlier offenses, but the county's insurance company, which covered the losses, is seeking full restitution from Sisaleumsak.

"At times when county and state resources are short, it seems pretty unconscionable to be taking that kind of money," Brejcha said.

In arguing for prison, Brejcha noted that Sisaleumsak had a "massive gambling addiction" that began when the woman was 28. By the time Sisaleumsak was 36, she was spending $2,000 a week on gambling at Potawatomi Bingo Casino.

Circuit Judge Kathleen B. Stilling agreed prison was necessary because of the seriousness of the crime.

"All of us who work for the government, we serve the community. We serve the people of this county. They trust us to be good shepherds and to make good decisions and to give them our honest service. So, when somebody from government cheats or steals ... It's really a betrayal of everybody's trust. It's a betrayal of trust. That's what makes this so serious," Stilling said.

Sisaleumsak pleaded guilty to nine of the 13 counts in April as part of plea agreement that dropped four counts. She was convicted by Stilling.

On Monday, Stilling sentenced Sisaleumsak to a total of five years in prison and five years of extended supervision on two of the nine counts.

The judge withheld the sentence on the other seven counts and ordered Sisaleumsak to serve 14 years of probation. If Sisaleumsak violates the conditions of probation, she could be sentenced to prison on the remaining counts.

Sisaleumsak, who fled from Laos when she was 14 and spent about half a year in a Thailand refugee camp before coming to Wisconsin, apologized.

"I am sorry to those who donate to the meal site, my former co-workers and my family. I'm sorry for what I did. I admit I'm powerless over my gambling. ... I will take full responsibility, what I did. I want to pay the money back," she said.