Crystal Lynette Fulford, a 63-year-old woman from Perham, has been sentenced to five years of probation after pleading guilty to stealing over $62,000 from pull-tab and electronic tab (E-tab) games. Fulford, who worked as a runner for a company that managed pull-tab games, admitted to not depositing the cash profits from several games and hiding the used pull tabs under her bed.
The theft, which came to light after a colleague reported her, initially showed she had taken $37,487. However, a later audit revealed the total amount stolen from two locations was over $62,000. Fulford claimed she intended to pay back the money but couldn’t, and instead, continued taking more. In court, she received probation and must also pay restitution. Theft by swindle of more than $35,000 carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $100,000 fine in Minnesota, though Fulford’s plea agreement resulted in a lighter sentence.
This story was originally reported by Derick Sidian of KBRF