Charges: Sun Country employee, accomplice embezzle $200,000-plus

By PAUL WALSH

Last update: April 10, 2008 - 4:11 PM

An embezzlement scheme siphoned more than $200,000 from Sun Country Airlines, leading to charges today against one of its employees and her accomplice.

Charged in Dakota County District Court are Kelly Jean Dillon-Love, 45, of Minneapolis, and Grady Jackson Jr., 35, who lists a Minneapolis address. Dillon-Love described Jackson as an on-and-off-again boyfriend since 2001, authorities said.

According to the complaint, the two admitted to taking the money from the Mendota Heights-based company and would sometimes use it for casino trips.

The complaint laid out this sequence of events:

A Sun Country executive reported to police that Dillon-Love had been fraudulently issuing checks to Jackson, even though Jackson was neither an employee for Sun Country nor a vendor.

A total of 108 checks endorsed by Dillon-Love were written to Jackson -- along with five others payable to other names. The airline calculated the total loss at just under $214,000.

On Tuesday, police searched Dillon-Love's Minneapolis home and arrested her. She confirmed that she has worked at Sun Country since 1998 and that she managed payroll as well as accounts payable. Also, she admitted that she has been fraudulently issuing checks to Jackson, who had significant credit card debt.

Dillon-Love told the police she would cover up the checks to Jackson in the company records by changing the name of the payee to the names of legitimate or fictitious vendors.

Dillon-Love said that Jackson would go to casinos with the money, and on occasion she would go along.

She said there were no major purchases made with the money, several of the checks were endorsed over to her by Jackson, and all of the money was gone.

Police arrested Jackson on Wednesday. He confirmed to police the casino trips and that he and Dillon-Love shared the money. He said she used the money for trips and for purchases for her home.

In court today, Dillon-Love's bail was set at $150,000 without conditions and $75,000 with conditions. Jackson's bail today was set at $200,000 without conditions and $100,000 with conditions. Both have May 5 court dates.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482

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