Former city clerk pleads guilty to defrauding small town

ST. LOUIS (AP) – The former city clerk for a small town in northeast Missouri has pleaded guilty to federal charges for defrauding the town out of $317,000.

Federal prosecutors in St. Louis announced Friday that 48-year-old Tracey Ray admitted to wire fraud and federal program theft. Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 17.

Ray was the longtime city clerk in Center, a town of 500 residents 110 miles north of St. Louis.

The U.S. Attorney’s office in St. Louis says that Ray used town funds to pay for charges on her personal credit card for things such as travel, entertainment and store purchases.