PORTLAND, Maine - A Portland woman has been sentenced to nine months in prison for embezzling more than $330,000 from a Chinese company that planned to invest in a Baileyville paper mill.
Jody Flynn was also sentenced to three years of probation, ordered to perform 500 hours of community service, and to pay full restitution.
The 61-year-old Flynn pleaded guilty in August to a felony theft charge.
Prosecutors say Flynn formed Greentree Renewable Energy Inc. to facilitate the mill's sale.
Authorities say she took a $500,000 investment and spent most of the money in 2009 and 2010 on her daughter's college tuition, a car, and jewelry.
The mill's owner later decided not to sell, and the Chinese company asked that most of the investment be returned.
Flynn claimed the money was a loan.