A court clerk in Wayne County, Michigan, has been charged with embezzling more than $60,000 from the judge for whom he worked.

Steven Allen, 42, has been accused of illegally obtaining the judge’s ATM card to make withdrawals and purchases, according to a recent press release by the Michigan Department of Attorney General.

Allen is charged with embezzlement, using a computer to commit a crime, forgery and stealing or retaining a financial transaction device without consent.

Allen faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

The judge apparenly became aware of missing money when he was notified about delinquent taxes on a secondary property he owned.

Allen allegedly showed checks to the judge to make it look as if the tax was being paid.

“Even judges are not immune to theft, embezzlement and fraud perpetrated against them by those they trust the most,” said Democratic Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. “Anyone can fall victim to financial exploitation crimes.”

Allen is represented by the Neighborhood Defender Service in Detroit. A not-guilty plea was entered by the court, which set a $50,000 personal bond,

You can read more about this case here.

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