AUGUST 27, 2024:
A former South Dakota Department of Social Services employee has pleaded not guilty to charges of stealing an estimated $1.8 million in state and federal funds from the department’s Child Protection Services, where she had control of the funds.
68 year old Lonna Carroll of Algona, Iowa, entered the plea Tuesday (Aug. 27, 2024) in Hughes County Circuit Court. She is charged with two felony counts of Aggravated Grand Theft. The thefts occurred between 2010 and 2023.
Attorney General Marty Jackley says the financial discrepancy was discovered by DSS in February 2024, within a week of implementing a new record keeping system. He says it’s highly unlikely any of the nearly $2-million will be recovered.
Carroll’s trial has been scheduled for Dec. 4, 2024, in Pierre. She is being held in the Hughes County Jail on a $50,000 cash or surety bond.
Maximum sentence for Count One is 25 years in prison and a $50,000 fine. The maximum sentence for Count Two is 15 years in prison and a $30,000 fine.
The defendant is presumed innocent under the U.S. Constitution.
JULY 30, 2024:
A former South Dakota Department of Social Services employee charged with two felony counts of Aggravated Grand Theft is scheduled for arraignment next month (Aug. 27, 2024, at 9am CT) in Pierre.
Lonna Carroll is charged with stealing an estimated $1.8 million in state and federal funds from a Child Protection Services program.
Attorney General Marty Jackley said the theft allegedly occurred while Carroll was working at a DSS office in Pierre between 2010 and 2023.
Jackley outlined what happens next in the case against Carroll.
Jackley said improvements need to be made to the paperwork process, but what those changes should be is not for him to decide.
Jackley said the financial discrepancy was discovered by DSS in February 2024, within a week of implementing the new record keeping system.
Carroll made her initial court appearance last week (July 25, 2024) in Pierre. The judge approved her request for a court appointed attorney and set Carroll’s bond at $50,000.
Carroll is presumed innocent under the U.S. Constitution.
JULY 25, 2024:
A judge has approved the court appointed attorney request from a 68 year old woman from Algona, Iowa, charged with stealing an estimated $1.8 million in state and federal funds.
Lonna Carroll made her initial court appearance Thursday afternoon (July 25, 2024) in Pierre on two felony counts of Aggravated Grand Theft.
Attorney General Marty Jackley said the financial discrepancy was discovered by the state Department of Social Services in February of this year while the agency was transitioning to a new record keeping system.
Jackley says there are two counts because of a change in state law in July of 2013.
Carroll is accused of taking the money from a Child Protection Services program while working at a DSS office in Pierre from 2010-2023. The amount of money stolen and the length of time over which it was taken has many people wondering why it took roughly 13 years for the discrepancy to be found.
Jackley says he’s had conversations about the situation with Governor Kristi Noem, but he hasn’t spoken with DSS Secretary Matt Althoff.
Jackley says it’s highly unlikely any of the nearly $2 million will be recovered.
Carroll is currently in custody in the Hughes County Jail in Pierre. Her bond has been set at $50,000. She is presumed innocent under the U.S. Constitution.
JULY 24, 2024:
A 68 year old woman from Algona, Iowa, charged with stealing an estimated $1.8 million in state and federal funds from a Child Protection Services program will make her initial court appearance Thursday afternoon (July 25, 2024, at 1:15pm) in Hughes County Court in Pierre.
Lonna Carroll is charged with two felony counts of Aggravated Grand Theft.
She’s accused of taking the money while working as an employee of the state Department of Social Services from 2010-2023.
The maximum sentence for Count One is 25 years in prison and a $50,000 fine. The maximum sentence for Count Two is 15 years in prison and a $30,000 fine.
Carroll was arrested July 17, 2024, in Iowa. She is presumed innocent under the U.S. Constitution.
JULY 18, 2024:
A 68 year old woman from Algona, Iowa, has been charged with stealing an estimated $1.8 million in state and federal funds from the South Dakota state government agency that manages the Child Protection Services program.
Attorney General Marty Jackley says former Department of Social Services employee Lonna Carroll is charged with two felony counts of Aggravated Grand Theft. She’s accused of taking the money while working as an employee of the state between 2010 and 2023.
Jackley says the thefts were discovered by the Department of Social Services. The state Division of Criminal Investigation and Legislative Audit led the investigation. He says the maximum sentence for Count One is 25 years in prison and a $50,000 fine. The maximum sentence for Count Two is 15 years in prison and a $30,000 fine.
Carroll was arrested Wednesday (July 17, 2024) in Iowa and is awaiting extradition to South Dakota. Her bond has been set at $50,000.
The date for Carroll’s initial court appearance in Hughes County Circuit Court in Pierre has not yet been scheduled. She is presumed innocent under the U.S. Constitution.
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