SMETHPORT – A former Bradford woman charged with stealing from
her employers will repay about one-third of what she allegedly
took.

During a 10-minute hearing held Thursday morning in McKean
County Court, an agreement was reached that would allow Stephanie
Cramer to repay Randy Hall and John Kohler $90,000 in
restitution.

Cramer, 42, of Plant City, Fla., pleaded guilty in July to one
count of theft by unlawful taking, a felony, for incidents between
Jan. 1, 2002, and Dec. 31, 2005.

During that time, Cramer was employed by Hall at Orchard
Apartments Inc. and by Kohler, working as an office manager.

Cramer is alleged to have written out checks to herself and used
a rubber stamp to endorse them without authorization.

According to court records, Cramer may have taken more than
$300,000, but she disputes that amount.

McKean County District Attorney John Pavlock said the agreement
will not preclude Kohler or Hall from pursuing a civil action
against Cramer.

“Setting the amount at $90,000 in no way bars them from seeking
greater funds,” he said.

Defense attorney Jarett Smith reiterated that this agreement is
for the criminal matter only.

Cramer will “contend with the civil matter at a later time,” he
said. As of early Thursday afternoon, no civil action was
initiated.

McKean County Judge John Yoder said there’s been some interest
in what sentence Cramer will receive, but he couldn’t divulge that
at this time.

In exchange for pleading guilty, several other counts of theft
were dismissed. Cramer’s plea is an “open plea,” meaning the DA’s
office did not enter an agreement as to the length of the sentence
– that will be left to the judge’s discretion.

In determining what sentence a defendant will receive, the court
looks at, in part, the amount of loss and restitution, Yoder
said.

“I didn’t have that” until the hearing, the judge said.

Yoder also explained that there are a multitude of factors that
determine what kind of sentence a person gets. This includes a
pre-sentence investigation, the defendant’s age, education level,
employment and prior criminal record.

There are also sentencing guidelines – “mathematical
calculations” -ðset forth by the state for judges to follow.

A judge also considers the nature of the of the offense, the
impact on the victim and the risk of the defendant committing
another crime.

That, coupled with the possibility of retribution, punishment
and rehabilitation, play a part in determining a person’s sentence,
Yoder said.

Cramer, who will be sentenced Sept. 28, remains incarcerated in
McKean County Jail.