Ex-St. Louis prosecutor admits she misused public funds and avoids criminal charges

Associated Press

Federal authorities say a former St. Louis prosecutor admitted to misusing thousands of dollars in public funds to pay herself back, after getting fined for mistakes she made while prosecuting a Republican governor. The U.S. attorney’s office said Wednesday that ex-prosecutor Kim Gardner had her employees reimburse her out of her office’s contingent fund, which she shouldn’t have done. Gardner will avoid federal criminal prosecution as long as she pays back the $5,004 and follows the other rules of a pretrial diversion agreement. Gardner, a Democrat, was elected in 2016 as part of a movement of progressive prosecutors. She resigned last year under fire.