KCK woman had spotless record for 50 years. Then she stole $1M with her best friend
Julia Roberts’ loved ones never thought she’d be capable of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in a years-long wire fraud scheme alongside her very best friend.
And, for the first few decades on the job, she wasn’t, according to court records.
Roberts, of Kansas City, Kansas, was a “productive member of society” for the first 50 years of her life. Up until she committed, and nearly got away with, the crime of the century, she had a clean record. Not even an unpaid traffic ticket.
Character witness statements made on her behalf describe her as a sweet, grandmotherly figure who showed up for those closest to her.
“As the Court can see, the people who have known Julia Roberts for decades consider this crime to be a departure from Julia’s true character,” according to court documents. “They have also witnessed Julia’s acceptance of responsibility and her potential for rehabilitation in the community.”
But, as Roberts neared retirement, and as health issues continued to plague her, she planned out a crime that would net her and her best friend, Vicki Robinson of Bonner Springs, nearly $1 million in state court funds.
Now, after both pleading guilty, the duo that was initially scheduled for a federal court sentencing back in April will face their legal retribution later this month. Both women are scheduled to receive their sentencing during a 9 a.m. hearing on June 30 before Judge Holly Teeter.
As of publication time, only Roberts, the mind behind the operation, had filed her request for sentencing. She’s asking that the court give her five years of probation given her otherwise clean record.
“It would reflect the seriousness of Julia’s offense while taking into consideration her age and physical condition, nonexistent criminal history, and her ability to pay restitution over a long period of time,” according to that request.
Together they stole $1M
Despite claiming they were innocent months prior, the two former bookkeepers at the Wyandotte County District Court in January pleaded “guilty” to wire fraud conspiracy. In their plea agreements, both women confessed to conspiring to write and deposit forged checks to cover up the incoming cash payments they were pocketing from the district court.
Between January 2018 and February 2023, they stole $979,962, according to court records.
Roberts deposited significant amounts of money into the Argosy Casino, located just north of KCK.
She had $1 million deposited in 2017; $480,000 in 2018; and $251,000 in 2019, according to her plea agreement. The amounts dropped off after she retired in 2020, to about $30,000. She also deposited more than $80,000 in cash to her personal bank accounts between 2018 and 2020.
Robinson made $20,000 in cash deposits between 2021 and 2023, according to court documents.
The women handled the district court’s finances, managed its accounting department, made reports and deposited cash payments made to the court into the Bank of Labor.
Roberts, who joined the district court when she was in her twenties, back in 1981, worked there for nearly 40 years before retiring in 2020.
It was her idea, five years before she was due to retire, to start stealing cash payments made to the court. She looped Robinson, her coworker and best friend of roughly 30 years, in on her plan.
Before Roberts retired, she and Robinson stole $816,022, according to court records. After Roberts retired, Robinson continued the scheme alone, they say. Roberts claims she didn’t know that Robinson continued stealing from the court after she retired.
They were family
Roberts and Robinson weren’t just co-workers or even just friends. They were family to each other.
Despite their job titles in the Clerk’s office, it is worth noting that Julia and Vicki are best friends. They have been friends for over 30 years,” according to a court document filed by Roberts’ attorney. “Julia considers Vicki to be her family.”
And that’s clear not only in court documents, but on their social media pages, which documented years of going to movies, celebrating birthdays and office holidays and a concert trip at the Argosy Casino.
It’s also clear from social media that Roberts was ready to retire, and fast.
“The start of this day makes me remember why I want to retire early,” she wrote in a 2019 post. “It makes me want to actually check into how I could make it work. Just thinking…..”
Roberts is also facing notable health issues. She has diabetes, cataracts and a degenerative spine condition, court records say. She struggles to walk and is largely home-bound because of her condition.
