A Kimberly woman has been given a 10-year suspended prison sentence as part of a plea agreement in a theft case.

Crystal Ann Taylor, 28, pleaded guilty on Aug. 3 to one count first-degree theft of property, in a case dating back to August 2010.

Taylor was charged with taking more than $71,000 from the Gardendale Flea Mall and Antique Center Inc. on Decatur Highway. She was arrested on Feb. 1, 2011.

Taylor was a bookkeeper at the flea mall, and is the daughter-in-law of owner Steve Taylor Sr.

According to Robert Scott, auditor for the flea mall, Crystal Taylor embezzled the money over a period of five years.

“Our accountant at the time didn’t reconcile the bank statements,” Scott said. “One day our bank called and said we had checks about to bounce, but our books showed we had plenty in there.”

Scott said that Crystal Taylor embezzled the money through various means, such as altering bank deposit slips after leaving the business and keeping the cash portion of the deposit for herself. She also wrote extra payroll checks to herself and her husband, Scott said.

Steven Taylor Jr. is Crystal Taylor’s husband.

“The $71,000-plus is just what we could prove beyond a doubt. There’s much more missing beyond that,” Scott said. “Our new accountant has had to go back through seven years of records.”

The loss has created a severe hardship for the business, Scott said. “If it had gone on another three months, it would have bankrupted [the owners]. If that had happened, there would have been 700 dealers, most of who are older and on fixed incomes, who would not have had an outlet. Plus there’s 25 employees who would have been out of work.”

Scott said this case is the first of two against Crystal Taylor. The other is scheduled for later this year in St. Clair County, where she is accused of embezzling more than $30,000 from the Leeds location.

Crystal Taylor will be under supervised probation for five years, and will pay back the stolen money on a monthly basis. An additional hearing on the probation is scheduled for Oct. 19.