Albert Lea woman sentenced in federal court for embezzling over $200K in government housing funds

An Albert Lea woman was sentenced in federal court on Wednesday for embezzling over $200,000 in public housing rent payments, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

The DOJ said 45-year-old Marcie Marie Thumann was sentenced to a year and one day in prison as well as three years of supervised release. Thumann must also pay $213,217 in restitution for stealing public housing rent payments from the Albert Lea Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA).

Court records show that between January 2010 and July 2018, Thumann, who worked as a bookkeeper, embezzled HRA payments for her own use by taking cash payments and changing the payment information.

The HRA is a government program that receives federal and state funding to combat the shortage of low-income available housing, according to the DOJ.

Court records show Thumann pleaded guilty on Oct. 12, 2022, to one count of theft from a program receiving federal funds.