A Valmeyer woman charged for the theft of funds at two area school districts was sentenced Friday in connection with a 2023 charge stemming from her employment with the Columbia School District.

Julie Nappier, 53, was sentenced to four years in the Illinois Department of Corrections to be followed by one year of mandatory supervised release and one year in the IDOC to be followed by six months of supervised release, with the two counts to run concurrently and both at 50 percent.

These sentences are respectively for one count of theft in the amount of $10,000-$100,000 from a school or place of worship and one count of deception.

As previously reported, Nappier also originally faced an official misconduct charge, though this was dismissed.

The charges came about due to Nappier’s overpaying herself a total of $155,374.44 while in her position as bookkeeper of the Columbia School District from June 2016 to July 2022. Nappier was employed by the district from Aug. 24, 1998 to Aug. 5, 2022.

Columbia Superintendent of Schools Chris Grode commented at the time of the initial filing that “Upon Mrs. Nappier’s resignation, two individuals were hired to separate duties providing more internal controls. In addition, a new financial software program (was) being implemented. The software conversion is what brought the financial inconsistencies to light.”

As mentioned, Nappier currently faces charges of theft and official misconduct in St. Clair County Circuit Court for similar behavior in the O’Fallon School District.

At the start of Nappier’s sentencing hearing on Friday, Monroe County State’s Attorney Ryan Webb called Columbia Police Department Detective Luke Moravec to the stand to speak on the investigation, simply providing an overview of events and noting that the O’Fallon School District was notified upon investigation of Nappier’s misconduct.

A major point of the case that was brought up a number of times throughout this hearing was the court’s receipt of an apparently substantial amount of correspondence from friends, colleagues and associates of Nappier speaking highly of her character and dedication to her job.

Webb addressed these letters as he gave the state’s argument on the sentencing, suggesting that, while there was great support of Nappier’s character, the true measurement of character is what an individual does when no one is watching.

Webb further argued that Nappier specifically used her position and reputation in the community to her advantage, ultimately enriching herself.

As setting an example for other employees managing government funds was a key part of the sentencing decision, Webb also argued that such a breaking of public trust required consequences beyond mere restitution, of which Nappier had already paid an agreed to amount.

Attorney Scott Rosenblum of Rosenblum, Schwartz, Fry & Johnson argued in Nappier’s defense, saying she had entered a plea of guilty and accepted responsibility for the crime, responding to Webb’s comment on true character by saying that no one wants to be judged by their worst conduct – especially when weighed against the positivity expressed in the letters received by the court.

Rosenblum proceeded to emphasize Nappier’s character as expressed by the letters, also speaking to her more recent conduct of working with a domestic violence nonprofit.

Additional arguments made by Rosenblum included how hard Nappier worked – he noted she was replaced by two new employees on her departure from Columbia – the expectation she would do well on parole and that the misconduct would be unlikely to reoccur.

Nappier then offered a statement of allocution, echoing much of what Rosenblum said and particularly noting her desire to continue her work helping others at the nonprofit where she has since found work.

Grode then provided a victim impact statement on behalf of the school district, with Columbia School Board President Greg Meyer and board member Adam Hemken also in attendance.

The focus of Grode’s statement was the fact that the money Nappier stole from the district wasn’t just conceptual but had a legitimate impact on school operations and student opportunities.

“These funds were not just numbers on a balance sheet,” Grode said. “They were the lifeblood of our schools, providing salaries, materials, opportunities for our students. These were the reason why administrators had to make tough decisions, especially during years where the state school funding was in crisis. Yet Mrs. Nappier felt her personal desires were more important than the well-being of our children.”

After a brief recess, Judge Chris Hitzemann gave the sentencing.

In explaining how he came to the sentencing conclusion, Hitzemann noted the impact the crime had on Columbia students, how Nappier used her place and reputation in the community and the need to deter others in a similar position from similar behavior.

An additional point he mentioned concerned Nappier’s likelihood of committing the offense again. 

Though Rosenblum argued that such behavior was unlikely to reoccur, Hitzemann suggested the opposite given the Columbia misconduct took place over a six-year period and another instance of misconduct took place in the O’Fallon School District soon after.

Nappier is still scheduled to appear March 10 at the St. Clair County Courthouse on charges of felony theft ($10,000 to $100,000) and official misconduct stemming from her time in the O’Fallon School District between Aug. 29, 2022 and June 30, 2023.