On Wednesday, 55-year-old Meridian resident Catherine Skidmore was charged with 25 counts of wire fraud and 24 counts of money laundering from the Black Canyon Irrigation District, where she served as secretary-treasurer for eight years.

An indictment from a federal grand jury alleges that she fraudulently obtained over $1.7 million. If Skidmore is convicted, she will face a maximum of 20 years in federal prison.

Skidmore allegedly made entries in the irrigation district’s international accounting records that indicate certain funds were used to pay for district expenses, but those funds were spent for Skidmore’s personal use. She also created fictitious invoices to make it seem like the stolen funds were used to pay for business expenses.

It is alleged that Skidmore, as secretary-treasurer, handled bill payments, fee-collecting, management of investment accounts and maintained the district’s QuickBooks database and ledgers. She also allegedly had access to the irrigation district’s bank accounts—with the ability to transfer funds to and from accounts, write and deposit checks.

Skidmore is scheduled for trial with Chief U.S. Magistrate Judge David C. Nye of the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho on March 13.

The Black Canyon Irrigation District is a public and semi-municipal fee collecting entity that is controlled by landowners serving irrigation water supply in western Idaho.