Ex-city employee sentenced for embezzlement

DETROIT — A former city employee has been sentenced to 18 months in prison after she pleaded guilty to embezzling $265,000.

Fifty-three-year-old Masharn Franklin was also ordered last week to spend three years on supervised release following her sentence and ordered to pay restitution to the City of Detroit for the full amount.

The FBI has recovered $58,000 so far.

Franklin worked in Detroit's audit and payroll department, where she was in charge of garnishing money from the paychecks of city employees.

The government said she came up with a scheme to embezzle money by issuing checks in the names of her relatives.

U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider said city workers "who embezzle money from the city steal from all citizens of the city, depriving them of needed public services and projects.”