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A 45-year-old Port Neches woman who pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $525,000 from her employer was sentenced to jail time, probation and restitution.

Andrea Patterson Guin previously made the guilty plea and on Monday she was sentenced by 252nd Criminal District Court Judge Raquel West.

Jefferson County Assistant District Attorney Tommy Coleman said Guin must serve 180 days of jail time before starting 10 years of probation.

During the probation period, she must pay back the $525,899.25 she pleaded guilty to stealing.

Guin has 10 years to pay the money to the victims.

There is always the possibility the judge could revoke the probation or extend the probation, he said.

Guin was indicted March 31, 2021, for felony theft (aggregation amounts).

According to the probable cause affidavit, the owners of Diers and Stark in Nederland reported the theft to the Nederland Police Department, stating Guin had been an employee for eight years and was responsible for accounts payable and accounts receivable but was not an authorized signer on the checking accounts.

From 2017 to 2021, Guin wrote herself 274 checks totaling $525,899.25. A total of 262 checks were written on the businesses’ First Financial Bank account and 12 were written on the businesses JP Morgan Chase Bank account, the document read.

The signatures on the checks had been forged and it was one of the banks that noticed an excessive amount of checks written to Guin.

The business owners reportedly met with Guin to terminate her employment, during which she confessed to taking checks home and writing the checks to herself and forging the owners’ signature.

She also admitted to manipulating the bank statements and accounting documents that were sent to the certified public accountant, the document read.

A Nederland detective spoke with Guin several times and attempted to set up an appointment for her to come in to talk about the case but she was uncooperative and did not show up.

Coleman said he believes the judge made the right decision in sentencing Guin to jail time, probation and restitution.