NIOBRARA, Neb. (AP) — The U.S. attorney’s office says a northeast Nebraska woman has been sentenced to probation and community service after her conviction for stealing money from the Santee Sioux Indian Reservation.

The attorney’s office announced Tuesday that U.S. District Court Judge Joseph F. Bataillon sentenced 53-year-old Lila Mechaley, of Niobrara, to five years of probation and 200 hours of community service. He also ordered her to repay $16,726 to the Village of Santee.

Mechaley was convicted of stealing the money from March 2010 through June 2012, when she worked as village clerk.

She had been writing checks to herself and forging the name of the village board chairman.

A village board official discovered the theft after reviewing bank statements and cancelled checks related to a grant awarded to the Village of Santee.