A Salisbury woman was recently convicted on multiple forgery offenses after she pleaded guilty to misappropriating funds from a Landis business owner.

Kristina Connot, also known as Kristina Riley, 44, of the 200 block of Rock Hump Road, was convicted of five counts of felony obtaining property by false pretenses, one count of felony identity theft, six counts of felony uttering a forged instrument and six counts of forgery of an instrument.

The case was initially brought to the attention of Landis Police Capt. Roger Hosey in December 2012 by the daughter of Mark Page, president of M&A Programming and Controls, a robotics design company. The daughter informed Hosey a former employee, Kristina Connot, had taken over $70,000 from her father’s company. Connot worked as a bookkeeper/office manager.

The daughter was now helping her father run the business finances, court documents said.

Connot confessed to Page via emails after he confronted the woman. In one email, Page asked Connot for the password and login to a PayPal account. She replied with the login and the password, which contained the name of her son. Capt. Hosey then interviewed Connot, who admitted to the crimes.

The courts ordered Connot to pay $71,837.71 to Mark Page.

Hosey said Page was out of the on most days repairing, installing or marketing the company so he relied on Connot to manage the business finances.

Court records show on Dec. 2, 2011 Connot wrote a business check to herself for $475.03 and forged a signature. On Dec. 22, 2011 Connot again wrote a check to herself for $873.26 and forged the signature.

Court documents show on May 7, 2012 that Connot wrote a business check to herself for $1,326.76 and one for $1,167.87 and forged a signature on those checks. On May 15, 2012 Connot wrote herself a $1,200.20 check and forged the signature.

A warrant showed on May 30, 2012 that Connot wrote a $1,532.72 check to herself and forged the signature on it.

According to a warrant, from Jan. 1, 2011 to Dec. 31, 2012, Connot used a Staples credit card issued to the business to make $2,482.20 in personal purchases.

Connot also used a Bank of America credit card from Jan. 1, 2010 to Dec. 31, 2012 to make $8,541.36 in personal purchases. She used a CapitalOne credit card from Jan. 1, 2012 to Dec. 31, 2012 to make $754.97 in personal purchases.

Records show from Jan. 1, 2012 to Dec. 31, 2012, Connot used a Speedway Fuel credit card from the business to make $730.88 in personal purchases. She also obtained $49,515.72 in personal purchases using the company Wells Fargo debit card from Jan. 1, 2012 to Dec. 31, 2012, court records show.

A warrant showed from Jan. 1, 2010 to Dec. 31, 2012 Connot used Page’s social security number to open a PayPal account and made $3,236.74 in transactions on that account. The Bill Me Later part of the PayPal account was past due.

Hosey said he had to issue a search warrant to PayPal Inc. because they would not give Page authorization to see the account that was opened in his name. PayPal essentially told Page that since he did not open the account he could not be given access to it.

Hosey said he poured over lots of records and statements that proved Connot had made these transactions.

After serving her time, Connot will then be placed on five years of supervised probation. Connot will have to pay the money back during that probationary period.

Several of Connot’s family members and friends wrote character reference letters including her mother, her 11-year-old son, daughter and her current husband.

This is not the first conviction for Connot, who in 2003 pleaded guilty to embezzlement and was given five years of probation. She’d worked for Salisbury License Tag Agency and had for several years been taking money from the business. Court records show Connot had been taking money since 1995 and was confronted in 2002 by a contract agent working at the agency. Connot admitted to the crimes. The agent in that case reported missing more than $108,000.

Connot was ordered to pay $78,081 in restitution in that case. She appealed that conviction citing she couldn’t pay the required restitution. The N.C. Court of Appeals did not agree with Connot.

In 2008, she was convicted of misdemeanor fraud and was given probation.

Hosey said he’s grateful to the Rowan County District Attorney’s Office for prosecuting this “very evidence extensive case.”

Contact reporter Shavonne Walker at 704-797-4253.