(LEX 18) — A Lexington woman is facing multiple theft charges after accusations that she stole thousands from a prominent University of Kentucky official she was working for.
Marjorie Gonzalez, 43, was indicted earlier this month on charges of theft by unlawful taking of $10,000 or more, theft by deception $10,000 or more and three counts of theft by deception under $10,000, according to court records.
Gonzalez is accused of taking money and items from her employer, and LEX 18 has obtained security video that her employer says shows Gonzalez carrying trash bags full of taken items out to her car.
One of the items she’s accused of taking is a $3,000 pair of Nike Kobe Bryant shoes, according to the police report in the case.
Gonzalez worked for the UK official as a personal executive assistant who helped with professional tasks and around the home.
LEX 18’s Leigh Searcy tried to get Gonzalez's side of the story at court last week, but Gonzalez did not answer any questions.
This isn’t the first time Gonzalez has faced allegations of trying to steal from an employer.
In 2016, Gonzalez was accused of taking a check from the Lexington Human Rights Commission, where she worked as an investigator. She’s accused of taking the driver’s license of another employee and using it to cash the $2,588.22 check at a Lexington bank, according to her arrest citation.
Raymond Sexton, the executive director of the Human Rights Commission, said that Gonzalez was a trusted employee for about five years.
Gonzalez was accused of being disguised in a wig and glasses when she tried to cash the check, Sexton said. The bank got suspicious and called the Human Rights Commission.
“It took me a while to recover from that one,” Sexton said. “I was hurt for a long time.”
Gonzalez ended up pleading guilty to lesser charges in that case and was sentenced to probation instead of jail time. While the charges would show up in a search of court records, they would not have shown up in a background check for felonies since they were amended to misdemeanors.
“If she's a serial thief, then something is going to have to be done to the full extent of the law to actually get it through her head,” Sexton said. “This kind of action will not be tolerated.”
