Former Ind. festival chief pleads guilty to theft

ALBION, Ind. (AP) — The former top organizer of a northern Indiana town's annual marshmallow festival has pleaded guilty to stealing from the event and her former employer.

The News-Sun reports (http://bit.ly/11pnSMO ) prosecutors say 43-year-old Tamara Deel took about $15,000 from the Ligonier Marshmallow Festival Committee and more than $100,000 from her former employer, G & S Products Inc. She allegedly used the money to buy appliances, Longaberger baskets and liquor.

Deel is the former chairwoman of the Ligonier Marshmallow Festival Committee. She pleaded guilty Thursday in Noble County Court to theft and fraud on a financial institution.

If a judge accepts her plea agreement, Reel could be sentenced to one year in prison and five years of probation. She would also have to make restitution totaling $116,000.

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Information from: The News-Sun, http://www.kpcnews.com