KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A former Northeast Knox County Utility District customer service representative has been convicted of theft, forgery and official misconduct involving customer accounts.
Sonya Christine Sherrow will be sentenced April 24 by Knox County Criminal Court Judge Scott Green.
A Knox County jury heard evidence against her this week.
Sherrow worked nearly 15 years as a customer service representative for the utility district until she resigned in 2017, according to the district.
Prosecutors say she used two schemes to steal more than $8,500 from January-August 2017.
She forged some 260 of what are called "leak adjustments", making it appear that money had been credited to customer accounts for people who had complained about high billing.
"She also stole other customer payments using a method known to forensic accountants as a lapping scheme," according to the Knox County District Attorney General's Office.
In that scam, the thief pockets money supposed to be credited to one account and then uses another customer's bill payment to cover the original deficit.
After she resigned, according to the Tennessee Comptroller's Office, Sherrow tried to hide the lapping scheme by purchasing more than 100 money orders and submitting them as payment for outstanding customer account balances.
"She delivered the money orders through the mail and the district's drop box," according to the Comptroller's Office.
The prosecution is seeking restitution from Sherrow for what she stole.
DAs Sean Deitrick and William Bright prosecuted the case.
The Comptroller's Office investigated the case as well because the district noticed odd "adjustments" to customer accounts.
