ESCANABA — A motion to reduce sentencing for the Rapid River woman currently serving 12 months in Delta County Jail for embezzling from local charities was denied in Delta County Circuit Court Tuesday.

Carrie Selma Flath, 40, of 8269 School 16 Road, Rapid River, was sentenced to Delta County Jail in May on embezzlement charges.

Flath pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement – $1,000 or more but less than $20,000 from a non-profit or charitable organization. The organization is the Delta County Junior Golf Association.

She also pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement – $200 or more but less than $1,000 from a non-profit or charitable organization. The organization is the United Way of Delta County.

Flath was sentenced to 12 months in jail and given credit for 13 days already served on the first count. She will also be placed on probation for three years.

She was sentenced to six months in jail and given credit for 13 days already served on the second count. Both sentences are being served concurrently.

“What we’re dealing with here are organizations that work hard to scrape together a few bucks and help a few people,” Delta County Circuit Court Judge John Economopoulos said. “And the embezzlement in this case was brazen and criminal with a capital c — deeply unfortunate.”

He continued by saying although Flath has been a model inmate in jail and she has family vouching for her character, he could not justify reducing her sentencing.

Economopoulos said Flath was provided graces before she was sentenced, which included the plea bargain and getting jail time instead of being sentenced to prison.

“I do not deny the motion in any particular desire to punish Ms. Flath over and above what she’s already been sentenced,” Economopoulos said. “And I want to remind … to punish you further than what you’ve already been sentenced would be to add on to your sentence — I can’t do that. And the issue of reducing your sentence is just not something by these facts that I think is justified. The court thought very hard about what your sentence would be at the time that it occurred and the facts that have occurred with your compliance with jail rules since that time are accredit to you.”

Flath had originally faced four charges of embezzlement from incidents that occurred from Jan. 1 through Oct. 31, 2018.

In February, Flath received a plea bargain from the prosecutor’s office where the office dismissed two of the embezzlement charges in exchange of her guilty pleas for the two other counts.

Restitution for all four cases of embezzlement were included in the plea agreement. Flath was ordered to pay the restitution for all four cases, which would total $14,091.24.

She has yet to put any money towards restitution.

During the hearing, Flath’s attorney, M. Marie Walker of Traverse City, argued Flath qualified for a reduction in her sentencing because she has been a model inmate.

She used an analogy of the plot to the play Les Miserables to make her point that Flath’s early release would allow Flath to become a model citizen outside the jail and begin to repay the restitution back to the charities.

Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Lauren Wickman countered Walker’s argument by stating a reduction in the sentencing would undermine the impact of the sentencing, which is punishment for Flath’s crime and deterrence for not only Flath but others.

A representative of the Delta County Junior Golf Association, Amy Johnson, also spoke during the hearing.

Johnson told Economopoulos that she felt Flath should stay in jail for the remainder of her sentence because the Junior Golf Association still had not fully recovered from the money lost and cuts were made to scholarships and prizes for the kids involved in the association this year.