Former Merriam Woods city clerk sentenced in fraud scheme

The former city clerk of Merriam Woods, located near Branson, has been sentenced after pleading guilty to a fraud scheme earlier this year.

Judge Stephen R. Bough of the Western District of Missouri sentenced Breanna N. Gamble to a month in prison and finalized a restitution order agreed upon in January, according to an Oct. 15 court filing.

Gamble pleaded guilty Jan. 18 to running a fraud scheme that resulted in a loss to the city of Merriam Woods of at least $68,038. The restitution order listed in the sentencing filing is for that amount.

Gamble, aka Breanna Delcour, an Ozark woman who was 28 at the time of her guilty plea in January, previously waived her right to grand jury and pleaded guilty to federal information charging her with one count of wire fraud, according to a news release from the office of Teresa A. Moore, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Missouri.

Gamble admitted that from Oct. 1, 2018, to Aug. 11, 2019, she utilized her position as city clerk to use municipal credit cards and bank accounts on personal purchases without city authorization. The release cited purchases at stores including Amazon, Reliable Chevrolet, Springfield Power Sports and Walmart. She additionally admitted to forging a signature on a $5,500 city check used to purchase a motorcycle for her personal use.

The scheme was undertaken with the use of false financial entries and false invoices, Gamble admitted, and she also said she made misrepresentations to the city’s mayor and board of aldermen and failed to cooperate with a company hired to audit the city's finances.