Eau Claire woman sentenced after being found guilty of stealing from humane association, local business

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) -The Eau Claire woman found guilty of stealing thousands of dollars from the Eau Claire County Humane Association was sentenced to five years in prison in Eau Claire County Court on Thursday.

Judge John Manydeeds sentenced 48-year-old Nicolle Wilson to five years in prison along with 10 years of combined extended supervision and probation.

In May, Wilson pleaded no contest and a judge found her guilty of three felonies including theft in a business setting and fraud against a financial institution.

A criminal complaint filed in the case says Wilson tried to cash a $60,000 check from the Eau Claire County Humane Association at a Royal Credit Union Branch in Eau Claire. She served as the ECCHA bookkeeper for about five months in 2018.

In court on Thursday, Judge Manydeeds called her actions reprehensible.

“You took money from the humane association for goodness sakes, the humane association. They have bills and things they have to pay as well and then to pass it off as a loan...really? That is insane,” he said.

Heather Mishefske gave a victim impact statement in court. She hired Wilson to be her bookkeeper at her small business, emBARK from 2009 to 2018. During that time Mishefske says Wilson stole more than $71,000.

“Her carefully planned actions to steal will linger my entire life,” Mishefske said in court. “To trust a person with the ultimate outcome of your business, with your finances is of the utmost trust. To abuse, manipulate and deviate that trust is the ultimate betrayal.”

Authorities say Wilson planned to use the stolen funds for a house.

Wilson apologized in court and mentioned her desire to pay back the victims however Judge Manydeeds said he did not believe her remorse, as this is not Wilson’s first theft conviction. She served prison time and probation for convictions in Brown and Outagamie Counties in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Those charges are listed under the name “Nicolle Hebert”.

“I have a hard time listening to someone cry and say they are sorry about something when they have done something of such a large proportion and they have done it before,” Judge Manydeeds said.

As part of her sentencing Wilson is required to pay about $140,000 in restitution to the victims.

Wilson was also charged in a separate case in September. She’s accused of stealing her clients’ information and applying for the loans without their knowledge. The outcome of that case is pending.

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