Following a jury trial, Erin Lynn Upright of Rockwell was convicted by a jury this week in Rowan County Criminal Superior Court of two counts of felony embezzlement.

Following the jury’s guilty verdict, Upright admitted her status as a habitual felon. Judge Anna Mills Wagoner sentenced Upright to a minimum of 110 months (9 years, two months) to a maximum of 144 months (12 years) in prison.

On or about Dec. 17, 2014, an employee with McDonald’s, located on East Innes Street in Salisbury, reported that a day shift manager, identified as Upright, should have deposited money in the amount of $3,796 on Dec. 7, 2014, however, the bank was unable to locate the deposit.

The employee told an officer with the Salisbury Police Department that Upright stated she had made the deposit and did not understand why the bank could not locate it.

Upright later told an officer that she did not make the deposit because she was busy and did not have a chance to go to the bank. Upright stated she left the deposit in the store safe and did not know what happened to it.

During the investigation, officers determined that Upright had not made another deposit in the amount of $1,800 from Nov. 17, 2014. The same employee told officers that Upright said she had the money and needed to pay off tickets.

The employee allowed Upright to borrow money from her to correct the missing money, however, Upright did not pay back all of the money she owed the employee.

Upright was previously convicted of felony identity theft, felony forgery, and felony obtaining property by false pretenses, among other convictions.

District Attorney Brandy Cook said she appreciated the dedication of Scott Harkey, a financial crimes prosecutor with the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys, preparing the case for trial.

“The Financial Crimes Initiative through the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys has provided our office a valuable resource in the approach to fighting financial crimes,” Cook said.