A former payroll officer for a south metro carwash has been sentenced to prison for writing hundreds of unauthorized checks to herself that totaled more than $330,000.

Connie M. Rogers, 47, of Apple Valley, was sentenced Wednesday in Dakota County District Court to four years and nine months in prison for theft by swindle.

Rogers told the operators of Eagan-based Paradise Car Wash that she stole from them to pay for health insurance and medical bills, according to the criminal complaint. She pleaded guilty in June.

Her sentence includes paying restitution of $335,773.40.

Rogers was convicted in 2005 in Dakota County of misdemeanor unemployment fraud.

According to the complaint:

The carwash owner detected payroll discrepancies in December 2012 and suspected Rogers was writing checks to herself on a weekly basis totaling 423 in number for about $375,000. The owner confronted Rogers, who initially denied his allegation but later admitted to stealing from him from 2007 through most of 2012. She said she hoped to pay back the money.

Eagan police were able to verify nearly $334,000 in fraudulent bank deposits.

Along with its outlet in Eagan, Paradise also runs two carwashes in Bloomington, two in Savage and another in Apple Valley.

Paul Walsh