Employee at Utah storage facility charged with blowing $108,000

Prosecutors charged a Highland woman responsible for payroll and accounting at a storage facility with embezzling more than $100,000 on everything from shoes and the hair salon to trips to Disneyland.

On Friday, the 33-year-old woman was charged in 3rd District Court with unlawful dealing of property by fiduciary, a second-degree felony.

Between May 2011 and February the woman worked at U-Stor-It Self Storage Facility at 1740 W. 6920 South in West Jordan. She was hired to manage payroll, the facility and all personnel issues and business operations, according to court records. In this position, she was the sole signer of the payroll account and also a signer on operations account.

During the time she worked there, she transferred money from operations to the payroll account above the amount required. She used that extra money to either transfer to her own personal account or for her own personal purchases and bills, court records state.

Bank records showed the woman paid herself more than $15,000 in addition to her agreed salary. Court records state the woman also used money in the payroll account to "pay for personal expenses, including clothing, airfare, food, car repairs, Disneyland tickets, shoes, gas, salon charges and miscellaneous other items and services."

The woman also bought items supposedly for the business that were never found. The owner of the facility estimated the company lost $108,969 because of the woman's unauthorized purchases, court records state.

cimaron@sltrib.comTwitter: @CimCity