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Number of embezzlement cases down in Fremont County

The number of embezzlement cases among Fremont County businesses is down some after the county saw a spike between 2007 and 2010. Fremont County Prosecuting Attorney, Brian Varn, says, historically, embezzlement was treated “lightly” and, accordingly, punishments tended to be lenient. Varn met with local businesses to reevaluate that approach, and the county now takes a more aggressive stance in court.
Varn says the worst year was 2009, and even then there were cases that weren’t charged.
 
“In discussion with all the local businesses embezzlement is a huge problem. The one year that we had the worst I think our totals were in excess of $325,000 on the embezzlement cases that we had locally.”
 
Despite the drop in the number of embezzlement cases, Varn says there is currently a case open for $2.5 million. 

Irina Zhorov is a reporter for Wyoming Public Radio. She earned her BA from the University of Pennsylvania and an MFA from the University of Wyoming. In between, she worked as a photographer and writer for Philadelphia-area and national publications. Her professional interests revolve around environmental and energy reporting and she's reported on mining issues from Wyoming, Mexico, and Bolivia. She's been supported by the Dick and Lynn Cheney Grant for International Study, the Eleanor K. Kambouris Grant, and the Social Justice Research Center Research Grant for her work on Bolivian mining and Uzbek alpinism. Her work has appeared on Voice of America, National Native News, and in Indian Country Today, among other publications.
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