by Ivan Foley
Landmark editor
A preliminary hearing for Karen A. Backues, liquor store operator jailed on charges of theft and forgery, is set for Tuesday at 10 a.m.
Meanwhile, The Landmark has confirmed that Backues has a similar criminal history in Lincoln, Neb.
Backues, 45, remains in the Platte County Jail on a $50,000 cash-only bond.
Backues had been operator of the Olive or Twist Liquor Stores in Platte City and in Liberty. The stores are owned by her husband, Bryan Keil, through Olive or Twist LLC.
Backues is accused of stealing more than $220,000 from her now-former employer, GBA Master Series, a software firm in Overland Park, Kan. She served as chief financial officer for the company.
She faces three counts of stealing and three counts of forgery. Prosecutors allege that between April 2009 and December 2009, Backues had written a total of nine checks without the knowledge of the company president, whose signature was forged on the checks.
GBA Master Series, shortly after the criminal charges were announced, filed a civil lawsuit against Backues, Keil and Olive or Twist LLC. The civil suit alleges the total theft reached more than $800,000.
The civil suit alleges that Backues and Keil used the money to finance operations of the liquor stores and also used part of the stolen money for their personal use. A May 10 docket call is set in the civil matter.
Keil has denied having knowledge of the theft. He has not been charged in the criminal case.
The criminal complaint says Backues deposited the money into a joint account that she and Keil had at a bank in Platte City. The civil suit alleges Backues transferred certain stolen amounts of the cash to a bank account in Minnesota.
Backues had worked for GBA since 2003. She was terminated from the company on Jan. 28 of this year, according to the civil lawsuit.
Court records in Lancaster County, Neb. have been viewed by The Landmark. Records show Backues, whose name was Karen A. Eberspacher at the time, was charged with two felony counts of theft-deception. Those charges were filed in 1997.
Sources familiar with Backues’ history in Nebraska said she was convicted of theft from her employer, which at the time was Time Warner Cable in Lincoln, Neb.
Backues’ defense attorney in the Nebraska case was Toney J. Redman. A Landmark call to Redman had not yet been returned at press time.
Here in Platte County, Keil has filed for divorce from Backues.
Keil declined to comment on any of the developments this week, including on whether he knew his wife had a previous criminal record. |
