(Photo courtesy of Mohave County Sheriff's Office)

Diane Maxine Richards

A former Kingman budget analyst has been accused of stealing more than $1 million in public money between 2007 and 2015.

Court documents show Diane Maxine Richards was indicted last week on 23 counts of theft, forgery and misuse of public funds. 

Authorities believe Richards used city money to finance cash advances taken out at Laughlin, Nevada, casinos, as well as pay her cellphone, utility and car insurance bills, said Mia Garcia, a spokesperson for Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich. Garcia said Richards is also suspected of misappropriating money from a city bank account toward 17 personal lines of credit.

Brnovich’s office launched an investigation into Richards last year. Kingman Mayor Richard Anderson said Richards had been a state employee for about 20 years and was immediately fired when Kingman officials learned of the probe.

Richards was arrested Wednesday morning, Garcia said. She is being held in the Mohave County jail on a $100,000 bond.