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A rural Jesup woman accused of stealing more than $100,000 worth of state money has turned herself into authorities after warrants were issued for her arrest.

According to Black Hawk County sheriff's officials, 36-year-old Nicole Foelske is charged with first-degree theft, felonious misconduct in office and ongoing criminal conduct. The charges stem from an investigation conducted by the Iowa State Auditor's Office involving the alleged misappropriation of money during Foelske's employment with the Iowa Department of Juvenile Services.

A report released by State Auditor Rob Sand Tuesday morning shows the investigation identified $123,642.57 of improper and $11,436.36 of unsupported credit card charges and the related administrative fees. Foelske was found to have made $107,745.46 worth of unauthorized or improper charges of state money for her own personal benefit from July 1, 2018, through October 31, 2019.

During the investigation, the State Auditor’s Office learned that Foelske bought gift cards at local stores using her employer’s credit cards, which she also allegedly used to make deposits to her PayPal account.

The report shows that Foelske deposited 438 gift cards for a total of $86,899, and then made deposits to her personal bank account for $84,330.65

According to the report, Foelske also made unauthorized purchases from Amazon and had the products delivered to her home.

The investigation looked at the Juvenile Services' finances during the calendar years of 2016 through 2019. The state probe was connected to an earlier investigation completed by the Black Hawk County Attorney's Office and local sheriff's officials.

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