Former county assessor Wendy (Nordwald) Kozma, who was convicted for embezzling private funds, will be released from prison on probation beginning on Christmas eve, according to an order …
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Former county assessor Wendy (Nordwald) Kozma, who was convicted for embezzling private funds, will be released from prison on probation beginning on Christmas eve, according to an order recently issued by the judge in her case.
Kozma was sentenced in August to spend 120 days in prison and then be released on probation, after she was convicted of 15 felony stealing charges. Kozma had been accused of embezzling a large amount of money from the Missouri State Assessors Association, a nonprofit professional association. Kozma was ordered to pay $213,800 in restitution to the association.
The timing of Kozma’s conviction on Aug. 26 just happens to work out such that her 120th day in prison ends on Dec. 24, Christmas eve.
Osage County Judge Sonya Brandt, who oversaw Kozma’s conviction, allowed her to serve 120 days of “shock incarceration” in prison and then be released on probation after Kozma agreed to plead guilty and pay full restitution to the Assessors Association. The probation is in lieu of a 10-year prison sentence that is currently suspended, meaning it could be re-imposed if Kozma violates the conditions of her probation.
Judge Brandt issued an order in late November stating that Kozma had committed no conduct violations while serving her 120 days in prison, and that she would therefore be released as scheduled. Kozma was given a five-year probation, during which time she will be subject to monitoring by the Missouri Board of Probation and Parole.
Kozma resigned as the Warren County assessor in mid-2020 to move to Florida and take a new job as the executive of a nonprofit. After she left, she came under investigation for allegedly embezzling over $250,000 from the Missouri State Assessors Association, for which Kozma had been a fund manager.
When she learned of the investigation, Kozma reportedly returned $46,000 to the association; the remaining $213,800 is what she agreed to pay as restitution as part of a plea agreement. Kozma will have to establish and comply with a restitution payment plan through the Warren County Prosecutor’s office as a condition of her probation, Prosecutor Kelly King told The Record in August.
No money directly controlled by the Warren County Assessor’s Office or other county government funds were mismanaged by Kozma during her time in office, county officials have said.
