Burnsville employee pleads guilty to stealing $4,900 from city

Burnsville's recreational supervisor pleaded guilty this week to felony theft in connection with $4,900 in personal purchases she made on her city credit card, as well as aggravated forgery for faking a city staffer's signature to withdraw money from her deferred compensation plan.

Kelly Jo Hansen-Mundahl, 45, of Prior Lake, received 30 days in jail and 100 hours of community service, and was ordered to pay $4,900 in restitution.

Hansen-Mundahl, who had worked for the city of Burnsville since 2001, resigned after the county investigation into her activities began, according to a news release from the Dakota County Attorney's Office.

According to the criminal complaint, Hansen-Mundahl bought Visa and MasterCard gift cards, an Xbox system and a Ninja blender for herself with the credit card given her by the city to make purchases for city-sponsored events.

In August, Burnsville city officials asked the Dakota County Sheriff's Office to investigate Hansen-Mundahl, and the items in question were subsequently found at her house.

Hansen-Mundahl said the gift cards had been given as prizes for various activities, that the blender had been purchased for the concession stand and the Xbox for a children's summer program. When the items weren't needed anymore, she said, she brought them home.

Representatives from the groups that helped organize the activities said they didn't recall any gift cards given as prizes.

Hansen-Mundahl also pleaded guilty to aggravated forgery, faking the signature of the city's human resources coordinator in order to make emergency withdrawals from her own deferred compensation plan six times since 2007, the complaint said. The human resources director didn't remember signing the forms.

A deferred compensation plan allows an employee to defer receiving part of his or her salary until a future date, such as retirement.

Erin Adler • 612-673-1781