Julia Harvey

Prosecutors allege that the longtime manager of a Cody liquor store stole over $193,000 from the business over the past few years.

Julia “Julie” Harvey, 63, faces four felony counts of theft in connection with the alleged thefts from Rocky Mountain Discount Liquor and Lounge. Charging documents filed on Friday accuse Harvey of pocketing most of the money the business had earned from gaming machines between early 2021 and her firing in February.

After learning of the charges, Harvey turned herself in on Monday and was released on a $250 cash bond and a signature bond that afternoon.

Park County Circuit Court Judge Joey Darrah opted for the relatively modest bond after being told that Harvey has limited financial resources and a prosecutor indicated it might not be necessary to keep her in jail.

“I know the allegations are substantial theft,” Harvey’s defense attorney, Rives White, said at Monday’s hearing, “however, she relayed to me on Friday that she sold her vehicle to eat.”

Missing money

Harvey worked for Rocky Mountain Discount Liquor and Lounge for roughly 20 years and managed the store on behalf of a Gillette-based parent company, Steck’s, Inc. According to the company’s owner, Harvey was terminated on Feb. 23, after issues that included missing deposits and the discovery of two stacks of cash during an audit of the store.

But according to an affidavit composed by Cody Police Det. Scott Burlingame, Harvey’s real trouble started a few days after her termination, on Feb. 27. That’s when the store’s owner received the earnings from their slot machine-like video games and realized that the week’s take was more than what Harvey said they were receiving in a month, the affidavit alleges. Further, the owner said he discovered that Harvey had been hiding the machines’ receipts since their 2020 installation; he found copies of multiple receipts had been deleted from the store’s email account, the affidavit says.

An outside accountant was subsequently hired to conduct a forensic audit. Based on records from the bank and the machine operator, only $108,251 of Rocky Mountain Liquor’s $301,218 share of the earnings actually made it to the store’s bank account between January 2021 and February 2024.

Nearly two-thirds of the cash, or $193,267, was unaccounted for, the affidavit says.

The store’s owner indicated that Harvey was the only one who could have taken the cash, as she was solely responsible for deposits, the affidavit says.

Burlingame obtained a search warrant for Harvey’s bank account and reportedly found that, during the roughly three-year period, Harvey had deposited $114,355.69 in cash. That was on top of $123,329 in pay and bonus checks from Steck’s, Inc.

Figures provided in the affidavit indicate Harvey was earning an average of nearly $3,250 in salary and bonuses while depositing another $3,000 or so in cash each month.

Questioned by police

Burlingame interviewed Harvey at her Cody home on April 23.

The detective said that, as he quizzed Harvey about her duties, she, unprompted, asked if money was missing from the store.

“I did not steal anything,” Harvey reportedly said. “I can tell you that right off the bat.”

As the interview progressed, Harvey offered a series of explanations for why money might be missing — faulty receipts, faulty machines and memory problems from a brain bleed she suffered in the past. She also said she’d borrowed money from the gaming machines to cover shorted tills.

“I stopped Julie and told her I found it hard to believe she would have used that much money to cover shortages in the tills without firing someone for stealing money from the company,” Burlingame wrote. “Julie agreed with me.”

As the detective continued to confront her with the information he’d gathered, her story kept changing, the affidavit says.

For example, when asked about the $114,000 in cash that she’d deposited in her account, she offered that she’d sold a bed, a couple computers and some Ring doorbells. However, Burlingame noted the items would only fetch a few hundred dollars.

“It doesn’t look good for me,” Harvey reportedly offered. “It doesn’t make sense.”

Ultimately, the affidavit alleges that Harvey admitted to taking $90,000 to $100,000 that she intended to pay back but had not.

“I told Julie it seemed to me that she was using the money from the gaming machines as a petty cash fund. Julie said, ‘Unfortunately yeah … you’re probably right,’” Burlingame recounted. 

When the detective pressed that Harvey had also used the money for herself, she allegedly agreed again.

“Unfortunately, you’re right,” she reportedly said.

Setting bail

At Monday’s hearing, Deputy Park County Prosecuting Attorney Larry Eichele asked for Harvey’s bail to be set at $10,000 cash or surety, which would have required her to either post that sum of money or pay a bondsman a nonrefundable $1,000 fee to post bond on her behalf. However, Harvey’s defense attorney, Rives White, asked for her release on a signature bond or her own recognizance. 

White noted she’s a longtime Cody resident with no criminal history and turned herself in. 

“She’s not going anywhere,” he said, adding that Harvey has very limited income.

Following the defense’s argument, Eichele softened his position.

“We probably don’t need to keep her in jail,” he said, “but since it’s a felony with such a high [dollar] amount, I would ask that some bond be imposed.”

Darrah ultimately set a hybrid bond, requiring Harvey to post $250 in cash and a signature bond, in which she acknowledged she could be ordered to pay $9,750 if she violates her bond conditions. Those terms include staying in Wyoming and having no contact with her former employer or anyone who works for Rocky Mountain Discount Liquor.

Next up is a preliminary hearing, which is tentatively scheduled for Aug. 1.