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former employee of the Lakes Region Association of Realtors and the Lakes Region Multiple Listing Service has been sentenced for allegedly embezzling over $144,000 from the organizations. Katherine Junge was a long-time employee when Fergus Falls Police received a report of suspected embezzlement in March 2022.

    Junge was charged with four counts of theft in May 2023 and convicted of one felony count on October 28, 2024. Court records show that association members discovered unauthorized credit card payments from their accounts, which were not supposed to be associated with the cards.

    Bank statements revealed at least $30,000 in credit card payments between January 2021 and March 2022. Investigators found that Junge used money from the associations' bank accounts to pay off her credit card balances, making purchases on items such as quilts, Harley Davidson gear, and online subscriptions.

    The unauthorized transactions caused a combined loss of approximately $144,022.85 to each association's bank account. Junge was sentenced to 80 hours of community service, five years of supervised probation, and ordered to pay $93,835.80 in restitution by October 28, 2026.