HaroldR Soule of Brownville, ME In many ways, long term calculated theft using trust as the weapon of choice is much worse than a one time desperate robbery with a firearm. The former is done out of greed & the latter often out of need. The sustained lack of morality that allows for the continued embezzlement is far worse than the temporary (often impaired) lack of judgement that results in a sudden one time felony. Why doesn't the criminal justice system recognize this & hand out justice accordingly?

Secondly, the embezzler, in order to assure continued success, becomes very adept at erasing paper trails & covering her/his tracks. So, when caught, if you can PROVE that the felon in question misdirected say, 26 grand, the actual amount was likely much greater (hence the rapid "repayment")

Lastly, this whole case is a major joke! The lack of jail time then probation & the fact that the husband was not implicated is a complete and utter travesty of justice! Hopefully, the public will not be as lenient and will show this lowlife couple the distrust & disrespect that they've earned & deserve.

(By the way Desiree, I guess your buddy won't be picking up the dinner tab anymore. So sorry!)
d;-(report abuse

FFMedic of Fairfield, ME Desiree, You've got welfare mentality. Maybe with some good meds, deep therapy and shock treatments you can lick this problem. In the meantime, with friends like you, who needs an enemy? Advocating for Karen Franzose makes her look guilty as sin and makes you look stupid.report abuse

Chuck James of Fairfield, ME Desiree, You should know that you too will be judged by the company you keep. It doesn't matter how "nice" a person she is, the plain truth is that Karen Franzose stole, EMBEZZLED, money from groups and activities that were meant to benefit kids. Who do you think put that money there? It was volunteers, doing fund raising, or parent paying for things like hot lunch and yearbooks. It also came from donations, from businesses and individuals who happen to believe in and support student activities. Karen went to some trouble to conceal her thievery, so what she did was hardly an accident. The test is very simple, and we used it with our kids to teach them right from wrong: 1. Is that yours?
If the answer is "no" and you have possession of it, then it's because you took it without permission, which is STEALING, and in Karen's case, a felony crime. There shouldn't be any gray area. Something is either yours, or it isn't. We've created a society where we condone criminal and just plain unacceptable behavior by washing it over with gray. Karen stole $26,000; she took deliberate steps to cover it up; and it fell into category of a felony crime. She deserves jail time and probation to follow. It's just that simple.report abuse

sue of madison, ME give me a big long break>>>> Iam sorry sorry sorry. Here i will give you back your money kids. Only Karen can stick her head in a bucket and pull out smelling like roses. She talks about EVERYONE in Madison and turns her nose up at us all the time. All I can say is she did not need the money for food... HER MEALS AT SCHOOL WERE FREE.... She may be nice to some people but she stole and that is not nice. She would be the first to run her mouth. How did she hide all that money from her husband?????? They live in a trailor and only had 1 child. What did she need the money for. Scratch Tickets, Tupperware, Pampered Chef, Oh she had her nails done>>>> Wake up and punish her>>>>report abuse