A 50-year-old woman who worked at the U.S. Postal Service in Bend pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to embezzling $156,462.59 from the government from October 2005 to July 2007, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

June Marie Newburn, who currently lives in Joseph, pleaded guilty to one count of theft of government property and admitted she stole money orders, cash and other property, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Newburn worked as a sales and service associate in Bend, at the end of her 23-year career with the Postal Service.

Prosecutor William E. “Bud” Fitzgerald at the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Tuesday afternoon he could not provide further details about how Newburn stole the money and property.

Under the plea agreement, Newburn must pay restitution as part of her sentence, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Newburn could not be reached late Tuesday afternoon.

Newburn’s guilty plea came after more than a year of investigation by the Postal Service and U.S. Attorney’s Office. A grand jury indicted Newburn in July 2008, according to a court document, and Fitzgerald said he began working on the case at least six months prior to that. Fitzgerald would not say who or what tipped off authorities to the theft, but the Postal Service’s internal affairs unit — known as the Office of the Inspector General — contacted the U.S. Attorney’s Office shortly after it began investigating Newburn.

Newburn’s sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 1, and in exchange for her guilty plea, the U.S. Attorney’s Office will recommend a sentence at the low end of the guideline range, according to the news release. Theft of more than $1,000 from the federal government is a felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.