FARGO
A Burleigh County jury found a 45-year-old Fargo woman guilty of bilking a trust fund, making off with more than $118,000 used for personal expenses - including $60,000 in restitution on a prior theft charge.
The jury took about 45 minutes to deliberate on Wednesday before convicting Lisa Barry of misapplication of entrusted funds, said Cynthia Feland, an assistant Burleigh County state's attorney.
Barry took out the loans on a trust account set up for a friend, Darnell Hager.
Feland said Barry was a close friend of Hager and her husband for years.
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"They thought of her as a daughter," she said.
In addition to restitution paid to Interiors by France for a 2006 theft conviction in Cass County, Barry also spent $9,000 paying legal bills from the earlier case.
In her defense, Barry had argued she was entitled to the funds, Feland said.
Sentencing is tentatively set for Dec. 3. Barry could face 10 years in prison.
