A woman who authorities say scammed agencies and co-workers out of thousands of dollars by claiming she had terminal cancer has pleaded guilty.
Keele Maynor Payne pleaded guilty to all nine counts in which she was charged on Tuesday morning.
She will be sentenced May 17 at 1:30 p.m. by Criminal Court Judge Don Poole.
Her attorney, Stuart Brown, said the maximum she could receive is six years in prison. He said, "She would flatten the six years in about four years counting good time, and she would be eligible for parole consideration after serving 30 percent of the sentence."
The prosecution agreed to lower the first count that charged theft over $60,000 to theft over $10,000. Attorney Brown said it was agreed that the amount owed at the city of Chattanooga, where Ms. Payne formerly worked, was less than $60,000.
He said the amount taken from cancer groups was about $27,000.
Attorney Brown said Ms. Payne was not yet ready to make a public statement. He said, "She's shaken and scared. She feels very guilty about it."
Ms. Payne, former office assistant in the city's land development office, resigned in December 2008 and issued this statement, "I have been untruthful with the employees of the city of Chattanooga."
She had worked for the city since 2002.