Montana Embezzlement Case

Laura Nicole Simpson
(Deer Lodge, Montana) The 42-year-old former treasurer of the Montana School Counselor Association (MSCA), Laura Nicole Simpson, has pleaded guilty to embezzlement.

According to court records, Simpson served as treasurer for the organization for approximately 12 years. On Oct. 16, 2014, the Executive Board voted to remove her from the MSCA account and open a new account after newly elected president Catherine Dennehy noticed discrepancies when she began reviewing the MSCA bank accounts. The record indicates the past president had not enforced the organization’s policies that required the executive board to approve expenditures over $100.

On Oct. 28, 2014, Simpson deposited a cashier’s check for $38,758 from the First Security Bank in Deer Lodge (her personal account) into the MSCA bank account.

A pre-sentence investigation is underway.