Nalley guilty of stealing from employer

FAYETTEVILLE — A woman accused of stealing money from the accounts of a property management company pleaded guilty Tuesday in Washington County Circuit Court.

Michelle Raye Nalley, 52, of 31937 Arkansas 295 in Hindsville pleaded guilty to one count of theft of property. Nalley was sentenced to 10 years at the Arkansas Department of Correction, which was suspended. She was ordered to pay $14,000 restitution and assorted court costs. She was given credit for 78 days jail time served.

Detective Shawn Allen with the Fayetteville Police Department said in March 2016 that Nalley took roughly $29,000 from Angela Pratt’s accounts at A Pratt Property Management, a rental property company Pratt owns.

Nalley was prosecuted for theft at least once before, according to Benton County Circuit Court records.

Nalley pleaded guilty in 2014 to stealing about $1,500 from Prime Power in Lowell in 2012, records show. Part of her sentence included five years of probation.

Pratt called police March 3 and told them she fired Nalley, who she said had stolen money, according to a preliminary police report.

Allen said records provided by Pratt showed Nalley collected rent money but didn’t deposit the money into Pratt accounts. An accountant found 17 instances where Nalley took cash for rent but had no accompanying log-in record, according to the report.

Nalley also paid her own taxes using Pratt money, instead of withholding it from her paycheck, according to the report.

An accountant found receipts of unapproved purchases, and Nalley told police she paid her car payments with money from a Pratt account, according to the report.

Pratt helped establish Soldier On Service Dogs in 2014. She is president and executive director of the organization, according to the group’s website.

Allen said the investigation focused on Nalley’s actions with money from Pratt’s property businesses. Nalley didn’t have access to the nonprofit group’s accounts, according to Pratt.

Nalley