NC mayor pays DMV $338,000 after worker’s theft

    WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) - A North Carolina mayor has been stuck with the bill of more than $300,000 after an employee embezzled the money from a state license plate agency run by the mayor.
    The Star-News of Wilmington reported Tuesday that Oak Island Mayor Johnie Vereen agreed to pay to settle a three-year-old lawsuit by the state Division of Motor Vehicles.
    Vereen was not charged and denied having any role in the theft by former employee Annie Daphine Ross Prince. The 63-year-old pleaded guilty last year to stealing from the Brunswick County license plate agency that Vereen operated.
    Prince is serving at least five years in prison.
    The DMV shut down Vereen’s plate office after auditors found vehicle sales documents were changed to show less money due to the state than was taken in.
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    Information from: The Star-News, http://starnewsonline.com
   
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