ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – A Delta County woman has been sentenced to jail and probation for stealing money from the former Jim’s South Side grocery store in Escanaba.
In January, Jaime Lynn White pleaded no contest to embezzlement of $20,000 or more but less than $50,000. The felony charge is punishable by up to ten years in prison and/or $15,000 or three times the amount embezzled.
Judge John Economopoulos sentenced White to three years’ probation and twelve months in the Delta County Jail. White will receive credit for the 243 days she has already served. White must also pay $57,871.04 in restitution.
White read a statement prior to Economopoulos’ decision, saying, “I know the effect of what I’ve done has been absolutley devastating for Jim, so I’m not going to stand up here and say that I don’t deserve to be here because I do. My actions were selfish. My additions are selfish. I know that no matter how many times I apologize, it will never repay the damage that I’ve done. I will never forgive myself for this, but I wanted to say that I’m truly sorry and I’ll do whatever I can to make it right.”
The store’s owner at the time of the embezzlement, Jim Berthiaume, says he exhausted his savings to keep Jim’s South Side open. He eventually had to close the store and sell it to new owners. Berthiaume says he actually lost much more than the $57,871.04 White has to repay.
“If I had not employed Jaime White, I would have $80,540,” he said. “She’ll be getting out in about 120 days from now. I was hoping it would be a little bit longer, but I support the court’s decision. This is going to be nice that this is behind me and I can just concentrate on opportunities and see what the next chapter’s going to hold.”
The store, located at 1408 8th Avenue South, has since reopened under new management as Southside Market.
