PIERRE, S.D.(DRGNews)- Two women from Pierre have been indicted on fraud-related charges connected to crimes committed while they were both employees of the South Dakota Department of Revenue.
The indictments against 63 year old Lynne Hunsley and 51 year old Danielle Degenstein (deegan-steen) were announced Wednesday.
Hunsley and Degenstein are the third and fourth former State of South Dakota employees to be accused of mishandling taxpayer dollars this year (2024). However, Attorney General Marty Jackley says these cases are the exception, not the rule.
Jackley says Hunsley was indicted on seven counts, five felonies and two misdemeanors. She’s accused of using her position with the Division of Motor Vehicles to falsify records between Jan. 1, 2021 and June 30, 2023.
Hunsley’s charges and maximum sentence for each are:
- Count 1 Forgery, Class 5 Felony: five years in prison and a fine of $10,000.
- Count 2 Altering or Forging Certificate of Title, Class 5 Felony: five years in prison and a fine of $10,000.
- Count 3 Making False Statement in Application for Certificate of Title, Class 5 Felony: five years in prison and a fine of $10,000.
- Counts 4A and 4B Grand Theft by Deception, Class 6 Felony: two years in prison and a fine of $4,000.
- Count 5 Offering False or Forged Instrument for Filing, Class 6 Felony: two years in prison and a fine of $4,000.
- Count 6 Falsification of Public Records by Public Officer or Employee, Class 1 Misdemeanor: one year in county jail and $2,000 fine.
- Count 7 Failure to Pay Excise Tax, Class 1 Misdemeanor: one year in county jail and $2,000 fine
Jackley says Degenstein is charged with one misdemeanor, Misprison of a Felony, which carries a maximum sentence of one year in custody and a $2,000 fine.
Hunsley and Degenstein were indicted Oct. 1, 2024, by a Hughes County Grand Jury. They are presumed innocent under the U.S. Constitution.
In August, Jackley announced there would be no charges filed against Sandra O’Day, also of Pierre, who is now deceased. The former state Revenue Department employee was accused of making fraudulent transactions that were used to secure almost $400,000 worth of loans at banks between 2016 and 2023.
In July, 68 year old Lonna Carroll was charged with two felony counts of Aggravated Grand Theft. She’s accused of stealing an estimated $1.8 million in state and federal funds from the Child Protection Services program, while working as a state employee between 2010 and 2023.
In all cases, Jackley says the state agency involved and the Governor’s office have fully cooperated.
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