Christa Ann McClure of the Colorado Health Exchange was indicted for fraud and theft from a non profit

The director of Colorado‘s health exchange was put on administrative leave yesterday after the state discovered that she had been indicted on charges of theft and fraud in Montana. On Feb. 6, Christa Ann McClure, 51, plead not guilty to 8 counts of theft and fraud for stealing from a non-profit housing agency she worked for in Billings, Montana.

McClure notified the Colorado health exchange, Connect for Health, on Monday but she knew about the indictment since Jan. 16. It appears as though she wasn’t going to tell her new employer but the news broke in Montana a few days before she fessed up.

The 12-page indictment alleges that, while McClure was serving as executive director of the federally funded Housing Montana, she paid herself “significant sums” for consulting services while she was already on the payroll as a full time employee.

Her thievery didn’t stop there. She also made payments to members of her family and used federal money for personal travel, to pay family bills and to buy consulting services. She was also accused of converting a laptop for personal use, fraudulently increasing the number of hours she worked, and writing herself a $21,000 check just for fun. Arguably McClure’s most egregious offense was her charging homeowners a $750 warranty that did not exist.

The total amount of her loot has not been disclosed as of this posting.

Ben Davis, a spokesman for Connect for Health, says that the state sponsored health exchange did check her references and perform a criminal background check before she was hired in March of last year. Davis said, “She was completely clean.”

Davis also said that her work with Housing Montana of Billings made her an ideal candidate for the job with Connect for Health. She is the director for partner engagement and makes $130,000 a year as the liaison with state and federal partners, such as Medicaid officials. He said that McClure should have informed Connect for Health of the allegations much sooner than she did.

Christa McClure was released from jail pending her trial, which is scheduled for June. Each of the charges against her carry between 5 and 20 years and a $250,000 fine.