A High Ridge woman has been accused of swindling a Jefferson County concrete company out of $25,500. She had worked as the company’s office manager, court documents said.
Karen B. Norris, 54, on Dec. 11 was charged by the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office of stealing more than $25,000, a class C felony punishable by three to 10 years in prison. She was charged in St. Louis County because she allegedly withdrew the money from a bank in Valley Park, court records said.
According to the case’s probable-cause statement, Norris allegedly withdrew the money over a two-week period in June 2023 while she was the office manager for Bright-Mann Contracting, 2220 Gravois Road. The withdrawals were made at the Montgomery Bank branch, 35 Marshall Road.
One of the alleged withdrawals was for $11,000, which triggered federal bank reporting requirements. When a bank employee reached out to the concrete business, the employee was told Norris did not have permission or the authority to withdraw money from the account, the report said.
Norris was known to the bank’s employees, and the four alleged illegal withdrawals were recorded on surveillance video. Company officials told investigators Norris made deposits to the account, but she did those remotely from the business because there were rarely cash transactions, according to the report.
No attorney is listed for Norris in the court records.