Camden County woman sentenced 17 years for stealing nearly $3 million from employer
SUNRISE BEACH, Mo. (KMIZ)
A Sunrise Beach woman who pleaded guilty in April to stealing nearly $3 million from her employer was sentenced to 17 years in prison on Thursday.
Danielle Nicole Thomas, 47, pleaded guilty on April 22 to stealing more than $25,000 and forgery. She is currently being held at the Camden County Jail.
The victim's claim of restitution states that Thomas embezzled $2,819,844.15 from Hydro Systems, Inc. and overpaid herself $172,687.31 in wages, totaling $2,992,531.46. The theft occurred during a six-year period that began in September 2017, according court documents and previous reporting. The judgement included money stolen from 2020-23.
Thomas allegedly told police that shopping is the only thing that makes her happy and that she got greedy and stole money to pay off her credit cards. She allegedly told police that she forged the business owner’s name on the check, the probable cause statement says.
Court documents in previous reporting say Thomas forged 367 checks.
Court documents say Thomas turned over several items that Hydro Plane has sold, including:
| Items | Sold for |
| 2023 BMW M4 Competition | $85,000 |
| 2022 Shelby GT500 | $94,000 |
| 2019 F250 Crew Cab Diesel Platinum | $70,000 |
| 2022 Lexus RX | $50,000 |
| 2021 Skeeter ZXR20 with 250 Yamaha and Trailer | $50,000 |
| 1994 38-foot Scarab Boat and Trailer | $28,000 |
| 2009 Yamaha and Trailer | $3,500 |
| Salt Water Hot Tube | $6,000 |
| Four guns | $3,000 |
| Designer shoes | $16,000 |
| Designer purses | $114,000 |
| Watches | $21,000 |
| Snap On Tools | $16,700 |
| Car Lift | $2,000 |
| Peloton Bike | $400 |
| Shed | $4,500 |
| Television | $175 |
| Sofa | $200 |
| Soundbar | $150 |
| Fridge | $300 |
Court documents say there are at least eight more items that Thomas turned over that the company has not yet sold, which totals $50,100.
