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The Hennepin County attorney’s office charged Sabrina Walker, 37, with four felonies in the case, including theft by swindle and concealing the proceeds of a crime. The charges were filed Tuesday. She was jailed later that day.
Eileen Harvala, Hopkins district spokeswoman, said Walker was put on administrative leave until the matter was resolved. She said Walker’s duties included “providing personal, social and academic support for students.”
On Wednesday morning, Walker appeared in Hennepin County District Court where bail was set at $200,000. She remained in the county jail, officials said. Her next court appearance was scheduled for June 12.
Her criminal attorney, Mark Larsen, said there was more to the story than just the criminal complaint submitted by prosecutors.
“I think it is too early to tell you if I dispute the facts in the complaint,” he said. However, he said the complaint “fails to recite all the pertinent facts.”
He said Walker was cooperating with investigators, and noted that she didn’t oppose a move by the state government to freeze most of her assets last week.
“This is a far cry from an individual who is turning her back on what has happened here,” he said, adding that more facts would come out as the case progresses.
The criminal complaint said the state’s accounting system was handling money for the Department of Human Services that was intended for the Hennepin County Medical Center, when an errant keystroke issued the check to Walker instead of the hospital.
Walker was in the state’s system because she was once paid $84 as a court witness. Investigators found that Walker’s vendor number in the state system was only one number off the hospital’s nine-digit number.
The check was mailed to Walker’s Minneapolis address around March 29 and cleared the state treasury on April 4. The records of a Minneapolis bank showed Walker and a man she lived with opened a joint account with the money. Walker reportedly told a bank teller the check was a settlement with the state.
Walker bought a $500,000 certificate of deposit and funded two retirement accounts. Later they bought a $500,000 Treasury bond, again telling a financial adviser the money came from a settlement. When pressed, they said the details were secret.
A warrant was issued for the man, Charles Lockhart of Minneapolis, who was also charged in the case. He remained at large Wednesday.
In the meantime, investigators also claim the pair spent $5,500 on jewelry, $3,817 at Best Buy, $2,069 on limousine services. Walker also bought a nearly $35,000 Chrysler Crossfire coupe and a 1969 Buick Electra for $5,400.
On May 17, more than a month after opening an account for the money, Walker called the Department of Human Services and left a voice message asking why the department sent her a check for nearly $2.6 million.
When a department employee returned the call and told Walker to return the money immediately, Walker allegedly refused and said her attorney would contact the department. She did not leave her lawyer’s name.
Department workers attempted to contact Walker, but had no success. However, five days later, on May 22, the department obtained a restraining order freezing Walker’s new bank account, said department spokeswoman Katie Bauer.
Police said later May 17, Walker moved $50,000 of the DHS money from one account to another, bought two Land Rover luxury SUVs and issued a $100,000 cashier’s check to a man believed to be her former boyfriend.
On Wednesday, the Human Services Department said it would move aggressively to recover the money. It also said it had informed the Legislative Auditor about the case and was working into improve its internal controls on manual payments.
