Woman who stole $560K from Metro sentenced

WASHINGTON - She stole more than half a million dollars from Metro and got caught. On Friday, a former Metro sales supervisor learned her punishment.

U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly sentenced 47-year-old Marcia Anderson to three years in prison and ordered her to repay the $560,722.45 she took from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority over six years.

Anderson was also ordered to forfeit additional money and items.

In April, Anderson pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. Between 2001 and 2007, she devised and ran a scheme where she would take cash from Metro cashier drawers and replace the missing funds with phony Metrochecks, which are essentially vouchers.

Anderson also falsified documents and used co-workers' passwords to change computer records. She went on a spending spree with the money, buying homes, computers, a BMW, and taking trips.

When offered the chance to speak to the court, Anderson told Judge Kollar-Kotelly she was sorry for what she did and apologized to her friends, family and peers.

"I'm the only person that did this, and it has come time for me to go through this process," said Anderson, who stood in front of the judge wearing a black trench coat and black pants.

The judge told Anderson that the crime was even more severe given the fact that she got caught and didn't stop stealing on her own. The judge also noted that the money was stolen from an agency with well-documented financial problems.

"WMATA didn't have that money when they needed it," Judge Kollar-Kotelly said.

Anderson will have to pay back at least $200 a month until the full amount is repaid to Metro.

Outside the courtroom, Anderson's daughter - who recently graduated from high school - hugged her mother and cried.

After the hearing, Anderson's attorney spoke about sentencing.

"She got more time that we would have liked, but we can't say the sentence was unreasonable," Attorney Billy Ponds said. "She understands the severity of what she did. This has been a tough period for her.

Ponds said it could be a couple of months before Anderson, who will surrender voluntarily, goes to prison.

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