AMERICAN FALLS — A 69-year-old woman who formerly served as the American Falls’ treasurer has been charged with felony grand theft after police say she embezzled over $278,000 from the city over more than two years by manipulating utility payment records.

Deana M. England, of American Falls, has been charged with one felony count of grand theft, according to police and court records the Idaho State Journal recently obtained.

England was employed by the city beginning May 7, 2019, and was terminated on Nov. 17, 2025. She was initially hired as deputy clerk and was later appointed city treasurer on Feb. 5, 2025. Her job duties included collecting utility payments for water, sewer and garbage services and preparing bank deposits at City Hall, according to court records.

The scheme began to unravel on Nov. 3, 2025, when the city clerk and interim treasurer was informed of a potential discrepancy involving a utility payment from a multi-unit apartment complex, police said. A review of the account the following day revealed irregularities involving vacancy credits entered into the city’s utility billing software, court records show.

Investigators determined that payments made in full by check for multi-unit properties were entered into the billing system for the full amount, but that adjustments were subsequently made by creating vacancy credit memos. Those credits were never returned to the property owners. While the deposit slips reflected the correct total check amounts, the cash portion of the deposits was reduced by the amount of the vacancy credits, police said.

A full audit conducted at the direction of city administration and completed Jan. 20, 2026, revealed that identical monthly adjustments had been made dating back to July 5, 2023. The total documented loss identified during the audit was $278,057.98, according to court records.

The investigation determined that England was responsible for entering the vacancy adjustments for all multi-unit complexes within the city, generating the credit memos and adjusting the deposit records. The pattern of transactions reflected consistent cash shortages corresponding to the vacancy credit amounts, police said.

On Feb. 24, 2026, investigators met with England and her legal counsel. After being advised of her Miranda rights, which she waived, England admitted in a recorded interview to falsifying vacancy entries on multi-unit utility accounts, changing deposit slips and removing cash equal to the vacancy credits from the deposits. She told investigators she took the cash to pay for personal medical expenses and did not repay what she took. She also stated that no other city employee assisted her in committing the thefts, according to court records.

England was shown a spreadsheet documenting monthly losses from July 2023 through Oct. 2025 totaling more than $274,000 and admitted to taking the amounts reflected, with the exception of several entries under $100 which she denied taking. When those entries were removed and a calculation error in the spreadsheet was corrected, the total came to $278,057.98, police said.

A criminal complaint was filed against England on March 5 and she was issued a summons to appear in court. England appeared before 6th District Magistrate Judge Adam Strong for an arraignment hearing on March 30.

She waived her right to appear for a preliminary hearing scheduled for April 20. Her next appearance is an arraignment hearing in district court in front of Judge Rick Carnaroli.

If convicted of the felony grand theft charge filed against her, England faces no less than one year and up to 14 years in prison and a fine of up to $50,000.