AMITE, La. (AP) - Louisiana's attorney general says a former secretary accused of stealing $1.9 million from the Florida Parishes Juvenile Justice Commission has pleaded guilty to two counts of felony theft.
Buddy Caldwell says 61-year-old Brenda Bickford pleaded guilty Monday in state district court in Amite.
She had faced a third count of felony theft, plus charges of forgery, filing and maintaining false public records, and malfeasance in office.
Bickford was recording secretary for 16 years before her arrest in March 2011.
Judge Jerome Winsburg scheduled sentencing for Sept. 7.
Bickford was accused of falsifying court-reporting invoices and putting the money into her own account when the commission paid. The commission's attorney, John Feduccia, noticed unusually high legal expenses, according to the warrant for Bickford's arrest.
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