Jeffrey Weber is officially off the Madelia City Council after a conviction of theft for taking his council payment twice, once electronically and once by check.
He was found guilty of theft, and there’s evidence he’s been in financial trouble, said the Mankato Free Press.
A year ago, Weber got $1,505 in council wages via an electronic transfer to his bank but then told city officials that his account had been closed. He was then given a paper check, which he cashed. But it turned out the bank had accepted the electronic transfer and used the money as payment to offset some of Weber’s debt.
Later, Weber tried to pay back the overpayment, but his check bounced. He then made a series of monthly payments and now the money has been repaid.
Weber said he didn’t realize the electronic payment had gone through until a month later, but he accepts the guilty verdict.
“That’s what I did. Whether I intended to or not, that’s hindsight,” he said.
