Chesapeake school embezzler to pay restitution

CHESAPEAKE

A 10-year employee of the city's public schools pleaded guilty Thursday to embezzling money from Hickory Elementary School. She promised to pay it back within a month.

Under a plea agreement, a Circuit Court judge levied a six-year suspended sentence on Gina S. Norfleet, 47, who pleaded guilty to two of five counts. Each charge was punishable by up to 20 years in prison. The remaining three charges won't be prosecuted.

Judge John Brown told her she had 30 days to pay back $9,489 to the school division. He also placed her on supervised probation for an indeterminate time.

A grand jury in January indicted Norfleet on five counts, which alleged crimes occurring from April 2008 to April 2010. Money was taken from school fundraising efforts, such as book fairs, Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Derek Wagner told the judge.

The charges came weeks after an audit revealed a misappropriation of an "immaterial" amount at the school. School officials changed policies to prevent repeat occurrences, auditors wrote in a report.