OCEAN CITY, MD – Fifty-one-year-old Teresa Kolacz, former secretary and accountant at the Greek Orthodox community of St. George in Ocean City, MD was sentenced to 10 years in prison for theft from the community.

The court instructed her to return $131,609 to the community, according to mdcoastdispatch.com.

Kolacz was charged with embezzling $141,000 dollars in May 2018. The police were summoned to the community because there was a tip regarding a money-laundering scheme that had been in place for many months.

The investigation revealed that Kolacz, who served as secretary and also as the chief book-keeper of St. George’s, stole money from the church for a period of two years, she did so by basically writing unauthorized checks in her name, and stealing the liquidated assets that were to be deposited in the community account.

Kolacz, who confessed to the acts of theft through checks and liquidated assets, confessed two additional acts. Namely, that she stole money that had been donated to the church, and confessed to stealing rentals that were given to the community hall.

Kolacz was found guilty last December, according to the website mdcoastaldispatch.com. Last Friday, Judge Beau Oglesby sentenced Kolacz to 10 years in prison and demanded the money be returned to the church.