Former Pilger Clerk Pleads Guilty To Felony Theft

Pilger's former village clerk pleaded guilty Monday  to attempted theft by unlawful taking a Class IIIA felony in connection to the theft of funds

In Stanton County District Court, Kimberly Neiman, 58, of Pilger entered a guilty plea in connection to the theft of funds from the Village of Pilger where she formerly served as Village Clerk. 

As part of the plea agreement she also agreed to pay $44,381 in restitution to the Village and the Pilger Fire Department. 

Neiman was arrested by the Stanton County Sheriff’s office earlier this year on felony theft charges, following a lengthy investigation by the Sheriff’s office and Stanton County Attorney’s office.  Neiman is to be sentenced on February 1,  by District Judge Mark Johnson.

She'd been fired by the village board in February 2019, following a state audit that found more than $562,000 in questionable transactions and more than $156,000 in suspicious charges on the village's credit card.

After being asked about the questionable payments, Neiman filed a consumer complaint with the state attorney general's office, stating that she was being billed for things she didn’t order. The auditor's report, however, said that was “difficult to believe."
Most of the transactions and payments were not submitted for board approval, the audit report said, which “gives rise to concerns regarding possible official misconduct and/or abuse of public records.”