Amber R. Hennessey
By Tom Gilchrist
For The Advertiser
CARO — A Tuscola County judge said she found it necessary to send Amber R. Hennessey to jail for six months for embezzling $26,224 from the Millennium Steering plant in Cass City.
Though Hennessey’s lawyer said a jail sentence would cause a hardship for the family of Hennessey — a 26-year-old married mother of three children — Circuit Judge Amy Grace Gierhart imposed the jail sentence, saying Hennessey has committed a wrong that affects not only Hennessey’s family but other people’s families.
Gierhart said she recalls very similar cases — when she worked as an attorney — where the convicted persons went to prison, not jail.
Hennessey, of Cass City, pleaded guilty to embezzling between $20,000 and $50,000 from Millennium Steering. As part of a plea agreement, prosecutors dismissed a second count charging her with embezzling from $1,000 to $20,000 from the same plant.
Hennessey told the judge she’s very sorry for what she did and for the humiliation she caused herself and her family. She said she has one child and two stepchildren who depend on her.
The crime Hennessey was convicted of carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, though Hennessey’s attorney, Saginaw Township lawyer David D. Hoffman, said Hennessey has no prior criminal record. Hoffman said Hennessey is remorseful and that she wants to pay back the $26,224 in restitution owed to Millennium Steering.
When sentencing Hennessey on May 12, however, Gierhart said she was disappointed Hennessey hadn’t paid back any of the money. The embezzlement occurred from April 2011 to August 2012, according to court records.
Janine L. Meeker, representing Millennium Steering, told the court that Hennessey — as human resources coordinator — was stealing from Millennium for more than one year. Meeker told Gierhart that Hennessey needs to be punished for what she did, and held accountable.
Tuscola County Prosecutor Mark E. Reene asked the judge to impose a six-month jail sentence. Reene said it was reprehensible that Hennessey — when investigated — didn’t stop embezzling from Millennium but instead pointed to several other employees that could have been suspects.
The judge also ordered Hennessey to be placed on probation for two years after completing the jail sentence, ordered her to pay $938 in fines and costs in addition to restitution, and granted her work-release privileges. Hennessey has landed a job at a different business but was laid off and waiting to be called back to work at the time of the May 12 sentencing, according to court records.
Cass City Police Department Sgt. James Freeman investigated the case. A website for Millennium Steering LLC states the company produces fuel rails and power-steering reservoirs at plants including the Cass City location at 6285 Garfield Ave., and one in Ligonier, Ind.