Former Buchanan County Public Administrator Bonnie Sue Lawson was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison for embezzling $174,405 in Social Security funds.

Also Tuesday, current Public Administrator Bill McMurray said he’s been informed that the FBI’s investigation of Ms. Lawson’s office is not complete.

“(The FBI) told me the investigation is continuing into Bonnie Lawson’s office and some additional information is being turned over to the U.S. Attorney,” Mr. McMurray said.

U.S. District Court Judge Gary Fenner sentenced Ms. Lawson in the Kansas City federal courthouse Tuesday morning. She’ll also have to serve three years of parole, including a ban from gambling, and pay restitution of $119,063.

Ms. Lawson steered clear of any apology or show of remorse.

“I would like to try to make restitution, and if I’m incarcerated, I won’t be able to,” she told the judge.

She continued, “I would like to say that I really did work hard for those folks that I took care of.”

Ms. Lawson’s lead attorney, Christopher C. Harlan, argued for a penalty other than prison. He noted her “exemplary life” in the community, and that Ms. Lawson “has suffered significantly in her reputation and standing in the community.”

Mr. Fenner agreed with the prosecution’s claim that Ms. Lawson obstructed justice by attempting to conceal her thefts by repaying some of the money, therefore increasing Ms. Lawson’s recommended sentencing range to 37 to 46 months. He noted that Ms. Lawson was an “atypical” criminal, given her life as a productive public citizen.

“There is just no way to get around the fact that your conduct was disgraceful, that your conduct was unconscionable,” Mr. Fenner said before announcing the sentence. “By virtue of the trust that the citizens placed in you, you took advantage of people who had no alternative but to trust you.”

Ms. Lawson will have until May 18 to surrender herself to federal prison. Mr. Fenner agreed to recommend her for a minimum-security prison, but that placement is left up to the federal prison system.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Warner, who prosecuted the case, said that unlike some state sentences, federal criminals usually serve the majority of any sentence behind bars. He told the judge that Ms. Lawson’s “public corruption” was “an obvious breach of duty.”

Mr. McMurray also spoke before the sentencing, noting that the victims typically were robbed of their $30 to $60 in monthly discretionary spending.

“Some of these people are in nursing homes, are dying from cancer, suffer from dementia,” Mr. McMurray said. “... They cannot function on their own. That’s why the court placed them in the care of the public administrator of Buchanan County.”

Ms. Lawson resigned from the elected office in August of 2006 amid allegations of theft. But she wasn’t charged until last September, when she entered into a plea agreement.

The case was led by FBI Special Agent Andy Thomure and was also investigated by the St. Joseph Police Department, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services and the Social Security Administration.

Joe Blumberg can be reached at joeblumberg@npgco.com.