June 30, 2009
kcstar.com

Former TV personality Arlene “Ally” Francis was sentenced to six months’ home detention for laundering $652,549 from Associated Wholesale Grocers, federal court officials said Monday.

Francis, 48, of Parkville, had earlier pleaded guilty in federal court to four counts of money laundering. As part of the plea agreement, Francis admitted that she was involved in a scheme to defraud the Kansas City, Kan., company.

Francis submitted fraudulent invoices for products and services that Associated Wholesale Grocers did not receive. The invoices were from Innovative Cleaning, which authorities said does not operate a “warehouse or other legitimate businesses at its addresses and was not registered or licensed to do business in Missouri.”

Francis had worked for KCTV-5 as a traffic reporter, but she resigned in 2006, about a month before she pleaded guilty to the crime.

Federal authorities said three others also had a role in the crime.