A Mississippi woman was sentenced in federal court Tuesday to 33 months in prison for embezzling almost a half of a million dollars from her former employer by creating false employees and having salaries for the fake persons deposited into her personal bank accounts.

According to court documents, Julia N. Linck, nee Capriotti, of Senatobia, stole the funds from October 2014 through July 2020 from Memphis Barbecue Company in DeSoto County.

Following a sentencing hearing on Tuesday in Oxford, U.S. District Judge Sharion Aycock ordered Linck to serve 33 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Linck was also ordered to pay back the stolen funds, with the court ordering her to pay $462,874.05 in restitution.

The U.S. Secret Service and DeSoto County, Mississippi Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Roberts prosecuted the case.