Prosecutors have made an offer that could resolve the criminal case against former Oxford tax collector Karen Guillet.
Details of a possible plea agreement — including whether the offer involves jail time — are not known. Judge Richard Arnold said in court Wednesday that the offer involves financial restitution, without elaborating.
Guillet will appear in court again July 31, at which time she’ll reveal whether she has accepted or rejected the state’s offer.
Guillet appeared in Superior Court in Milford Wednesday morning with her attorney, Dominick Thomas, after Thomas met with a prosecutor and a judge behind closed doors during a morning recess that lasted about an hour.
In court, State’s Attorney Kevin Lawlor said an offer was made to Guillet and asked Judge Arnold for “one final continuance” for Guillet to think it over. He did not say what that offer entailed.
Afterward, Thomas wouldn’t either.
“The state didn’t put (the offer) on the record, I’m not going to put it on the record,” he said.
“We had a discussion, there was an offer made. There are certain issues that I have to look into and then we will respond to the court’s offer on the 31st,” the lawyer said.
When asked about the issue of restitution, he said: “There’s a of issues that we have to discuss with respect to that. We went back and forth on that in there, and that’s why it’s been continued two weeks.”
“It’s too early for me to discuss anything,” Thomas went on, in response to a question about what Guillet thought of the offer. “You’ll find out what her position is on the offer on the 31st.”
Guillet, the town’s tax collector for 20 years, was arrested in late November after a two-year investigation by state police.
She is charged with one count of first-degree larceny and six counts of first-degree forgery. State police believe she embezzled some $240,000 from taxpayers.
The arrest warrant in the case said Guillet collected money and did not credit accounts, all the while living a lavish lifestyle.
In addition to the criminal case, the town has a civil lawsuit pending against Guillet, claiming she actually stole more than $600,000 over the years. The civil case is still pending.
The audio clip below is a brief interview with Thomas outside court:
