A former Rockville dance studio employee was sentenced Monday to three years in prison with all but six months suspended after pleading guilty in October to a “theft scheme” involving more than $100,000, the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office said Monday in a statement.
According to the statement, Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge Mary Beth McCormick also sentenced Erin Kelly, 41, of Rockville to three years of probation and ordered her to pay full restitution of nearly $161,000 by Feb. 3.
Kelly was accused of stealing $160,986 from Dance Crafton Dance Connection, where she worked, between January 2017 and May 2022, according to the statement. Kelly also previously worked as a Montgomery County Public Schools teacher, Montgomery County Media first reported.
“Kelly fraudulently diverted funds from customers intended for her employer into her own personal bank account,” the state’s attorney’s office statement said.
Kelly’s lawyer, David Schiller, told Bethesda Today on Tuesday that Kelly was remorseful and regretted that the case wasn’t resolved privately because the dance studio and the Kelly family have personal and business relationships that couldn’t “be fully detailed in a news article.” Schiller said he had a certified check for restitution for the case.
“The matter was resolved short of a trial which we believe was best for all parties,” Schiller said.
Kelly was indicted by a grand jury and pled guilty Oct. 29 to one charge of a theft scheme over $100,000.