Barela Facing Additional Theft Charges
Written by Andrew-Rossi on January 2, 2018
A Cody woman who was arrested in November for embezzlement is facing additional theft charges.
Several weeks after Joy Barela was arrested on charges of stealing over $10,000 from her employer, Frank Kraut, a new warrant was issued after an investigation uncovered almost $20,000 in additional funds missing from Kraut’s Cody Paint and Body operation. Barela was employed by Kraut as a bookkeeper, responsible for several of his business ventures.
According to an article in the Cody Enterprise, the felony warrant was issued on December 13th and served on Barela at the Park County Detention Center. She has been incarcerated there since her initial arrest on November 7th.
Barela has pled not guilty to the first set of charges, but has not entered a plea yet to the new allegations. And in an affidavit of probable cause filed in November, Kraut told police that he had identified a similar pattern of sketchy bookkeeping for another of his businesses, Brewgards – so it is possible more charges could be filed against Barela in coming weeks.
