Kinde Durkee, the California campaign treasurer who stole millions from various Democratic candidates over 12 years, was sentenced on Wednesday to eight years in prison and ordered to pay at least $10.5 million in restitution, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Durkee’s lawyer had argued in a pre-sentencing report that his client “did not use the stolen funds to finance a lavish lifestyle,” but rather used the funds to keep the business afloat. Lawyer Daniel V. Nixon wrote that the situation “spiraled out of control, she lost track of the amount of the shortfall and it ultimately reached a level that she would be unable to repay in her lifetime.”
Durkee apologized in court to “those who trusted me and I betrayed,” according to the Associated Press. Judge Kimberly Mueller asked for Durkee to serve her sentence in a prison that has mental health services, the AP reported.
