A former Tama County day care director has pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $5,000 in federal funds.

48-year-old Kristine Daniel of Grinnell entered the plea Thursday (10/31) in U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids. The charge: federal program theft. The court records say Daniel took more than $5,000 from Tama County Day Care Inc./Kids’ Corner between December 2009 and April 2016. Kids’ Corner was receiving federal money at the time.

Daniel already has pleaded not guilty to state charges of theft and other crimes.

The state auditor’s office says auditors identified nearly $279,000 in improper and unsupported spending, undeposited collections and forgone grant revenue involved in the finances of Kids’ Corner. The audit covered December 2009 through May 31, 2016, when Daniel was working for Kids’ Corner.