2 Kansas City-area court employees sentenced for stealing nearly $1 million from taxpayers 

Two former Wyandotte County District Court employees have been sentenced for stealing almost $1 million in taxpayer funds through their positions in the accounting office.

Julia Roberts, 65, of Leavenworth, Kansas, and Vicki Robinson, 63, of Bonner Springs, Kansas, pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy last week. Roberts worked as the district court’s accounting supervisor and was responsible for collecting and depositing money into the court’s bank account.

Roberts, who worked as Robinson’s supervisor, masterminded the plot to steal incoming cash and taught Robinson how to do it.

“Public trust is the foundation of an effective government,” FBI Kansas City Special Agent in Charge Chris Ormerod said in a statement by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas.

“When public servants betray that trust for personal financial gain, they compromise the integrity of the institutions they are sworn to serve.”

Roberts and Robinson stole $979,962 between 2018 and 2023 from the district court and concealed the missing cash by creating counterfeit checks for fake court transactions. They put fabricated information on the checks’ memo lines to make them look like legitimate court business and signed them with a forged clerk of court’s signature.

Roberts used a significant amount of the money at casinos during the years she was stealing from the district court. In 2017, she spent more than $1 million at casinos. In 2018, she spent $480,000, and in 2019, she spent $251,000. Roberts also deposited $80,000 in cash into her personal bank accounts between 2018 and 2020.

After Roberts retired in 2020, her spending at casinos and cash deposits into her personal accounts declined considerably. In 2020, she spent $30,000 at casinos and deposited $20,000 into her bank account.

Robinson was interviewed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in August 2025 and admitted she stole money from the district court. She also revealed Roberts’ role as the leader of the scheme.

“Roberts and Robinson worked together, stole together, and together conspired to cover up their crimes,” U.S. Attorney Ryan Kriegshauser said. “They were as thick as thieves, and now the two thieves are headed to prison for stealing from the Wyandotte County District Court.”

Roberts and Robinson both pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud conspiracy. Roberts has been sentenced to roughly three years in prison, and Robinson has been sentenced to a little more than two years in prison. They are also responsible for paying $979,962 in restitution.

“Today’s sentence sends a clear message: the FBI has zero tolerance for this,” Ormerod declared.

“Anyone who exploits public office for personal enrichment will be thoroughly investigated, held accountable, and brought to justice.”