Doneia Santiago walks away from the defense table after making an appearance in Lewis County Superior Court at the Lewis County Law and Justice Center in Chehalis.
A woman accused of making more than $30,000 in mortgage payments using City of Mossyrock funds while working as the city’s clerk and treasurer pleaded guilty this week and is scheduled to be sentenced this month.
Doneia A. Santiago, 53, of Salkum, pleaded guilty Wednesday to nine counts of first-degree identity theft.
Her sentencing is scheduled for 11 a.m. Sept. 28. Santiago’s attorney, Don Blair, said he and his client have not come to an agreement with the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office for a recommended sentence as part of her plea agreement.
“Whatever time is going to be imposed, she would like to get started and get this episode of her life over with,” Blair told the court Wednesday.
Santiago was Mossyrock’s city clerk and treasurer, as well as its parks manager, according to the city’s website. She was placed on administrative leave after the investigation was initiated, according to court documents.
The Morton Police Department began investigating the alleged theft on June 20, after receiving a report of the alleged theft from Mossyrock Mayor Thomas Meade.
Santiago made her first appearance in Lewis County Superior Court on June 27 on charges of first-degree theft on suspicion of stealing more than $7,700 from the city of Mossyrock by using city gas cards and for a single transfer to her mortgage company. She was granted $10,000 unsecured bail and appeared at her Wednesday hearing out of custody.
Santiago initially told investigators that any transfers were made in error, and that she intended to pay them back.
However, a continued investigation from the Morton Police Department revealed payments totaling about $33,000 from city accounts to Santiago’s mortgage company, dating back two years.
On July 8, the Prosecutor’s Office filed amended information charging Santiago with nine counts of second-degree theft and nine counts of first-degree identity theft.
Santiago admitted to the allegations, which date back to 2014, in her plea agreement, which Superior Court Judge Nelson Hunt read Wednesday.
“I used financial information from the city of Mossyrock to transfer funds into my mortgage account,” according to Santiago’s statement in plea documents.
