Former Bookkeeper For Andy Williams Moon River Theater Pleads Guilty In Federal Court:

By Kathee Baird

Springfield, Mo.- A woman from Branson pleaded guilty in federal court today to filing a bogus tax return after she embezzled over $678,000 from her former employer.

Dawn K. Cleveringa, 59, of Branson, waived her right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty. Cleveringa was the controller of the Andy Williams Theatre from 1992 to 2009. Cleveringa’s duties as controller included conducting or supervising financial transactions of the Andy Williams Theatre, including employee payroll and issuing IRS Forms W-2 to employees.

By pleading guilty, Cleveringa admitted that she made unauthorized payments to herself, and unauthorized payments of her personal expenses, from funds of the Andy Williams Theatre in 2007 and 2008. To disguise her theft, Cleveringa manipulated the accounting system of the Andy Williams Theatre.

Cleveringa has been prosecuted in state court for embezzling more than $678,000 from the Andy Williams Theatre. The federal charge is related only to the portion of the embezzled income for which Cleveringa did not pay federal income taxes.

When Cleveringa pleaded guilty to state charges of stealing from the theater in 2012 she was ordered to serve 60 days shock time and was placed on five years probation. She was also ordered to obtain a job and make restitution, according to court records. She is scheduled to appear in court for a probation violation hearing in Forsyth on September 4th, according to online court records.

Cleveringa admitted that she failed to include some of the embezzled income on her federal income tax return. In 2007, Cleveringa embezzled approximately $160,642 from the Andy Williams Theatre that was not claimed on her federal income tax return. In 2008, Cleveringa embezzled approximately $102,013 from the Andy Williams Theatre that was not claimed on her federal income tax return. The total amount embezzled during 2007 and 2008, which was not claimed on her federal income tax return, was approximately $262,656.

Under federal statutes, Cleveringa is subject to a sentence of up to three years in federal prison without parole, plus a fine up to $250,000 and an order of restitution. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.