by Ivan Foley
Landmark editor
Karen Backues of Platte City, the liquor store operator charged with theft and forgery, is no longer a resident of the Platte County Jail.
Backues’ bond, originally set at $50,000 cash-only, was reduced by Judge Lee Hull at a hearing last week. Hull reduced Backues’ bond to $30,000 cash or surety, which allowed her to post bond at ten percent of that $30,000.
Next event in the Backues’ criminal case is a docket call set for May 13, according to officials in the Platte County Prosecutor’s Office.
Backues had been operator of the Olive or Twist Liquor Stores in Platte City and Liberty. The stores are owned by her husband, Bryan Keil, through Olive or Twist LLC. Keil filed for divorce from Backues after the criminal charges were filed against her. Keil has not been charged in the criminal case.
Backues is accused of stealing more than $220,000 from her now former employer, GBA Master Series, a software firm in Overland Park, Ks. 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.
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