GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A former bookkeeper at a Rockford church’s preschool has been sentenced to prison for embezzling more than $200,000 over several years.
Susan Kacsits, 61, who worked as the accountant and bookkeeper for St. Peter’s Lutheran Preschool, was sentenced Wednesday in Kent County Circuit Court to 1.5 to 20 years in prison. In addition to the prison term, Judge Christina Mims ordered Kacsits to pay $209,619 in restitution to the preschool.
The embezzlement came to light about a year ago after an investigation revealed approximately 50 instances of Kacsits siphoning funds from the preschool’s accounts and depositing them into her personal bank accounts.
According to court records and a police report, Kacsits began working for the preschool in 2008 as a paid employee. Despite her position of trust, she exploited her access to the school’s finances for personal gain.
“She could not articulate why she thought it was okay to take the money,” a Rockford police officer wrote in a June 2024 report. “She stated she had no excuse and no reason for taking the money.”
Kacsits pleaded no contest in April to felony embezzlement of more than $100,000, a charge that carries a potential prison sentence of up to 20 years.
Currently, Kacsits is being held at the Kent County jail pending transfer to the state prison system.
