A former Chicago City Clerk's office employee has been sentenced to two years' probation, after she pleaded guilty to stealing $150,000 in cash payments for city vehicle stickers.

Cook County Court records show Barbara Johnson pleaded guilty last week to one count of computer fraud and one count of official misconduct.

Johnson was indicted in November 2023, after Cook County prosecutors said she was caught on video stealing cash payments drivers had made for city stickers.

According to court records, Johnson exploited a flaw in the city's tracking system to pocket cash from hundreds of city sticker payments. The city used one computer system to track and print stickers and another system to track payments.

After processing sticker sales, Johnson would essentially cancel the transaction using a "transfer out" function in the system for tracking payments, and would not have to account for any missing cash.

"Thus, the cash she received, for a sale she corrupted, was not included in her daily totals," prosecutors wrote in a court filing after Johnson's indictment.

Johnson would then pocket the cash from those transactions, stealing a total of $150,000 before she was caught. Prosecutors said, at the time of the thefts, Johnson owed payments on several payday-type loans, and was having monthly payments deducted from her bank account, often leading to insufficient funds in her account

"Her theft of government funds could have been intended to ease her personal financial difficulties," prosecutors wrote.

In addition to her sentence of two years of probation, Johnson must pay $150,000 in restitution to the city.

"We are very pleased with this outcome and very grateful for the partnership of the State's Attorney's Office," said Chicago Inspector General Deborah Witzburg, whose office helped uncover the theft. "We will continue to aggressively pursue accountability for all those who abuse positions of public trust, and to do everything we can to see the City made whole."