A former official at a Lawrence sign company faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine after pleading guilty to computer fraud, U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch said Tuesday.

Barbra James, former controller for Star Signs & Graphics, confessed to stealing from the business and then damaging the company’s computer system in an attempt to cover up the thefts, prosecutors said. The crimes occurred in 2004 and 2005.

James accessed her company’s accounting system “to falsely increase her salary, to create forged checks on the company’s accounts, to make unauthorized charges on the company’s American Express account, and to make unauthorized payments from the company’s accounts to her personal credit cards,” said Jim Cross, Welch’s spokesman.

Cross said James accessed the company’s computer server in March 2005 to delete software that handled the company’s accounting, as well as 18,000 computer files. He said the company’s server had to be rebuilt and caused a loss of $105,604 to the company, 801 E. Ninth St.

“In her plea, James agreed to pay restitution for the full amount,” said Cross.

James is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 14 in federal court in Kansas City, Kan.

Lawrence police and the U.S. Secret Service participated in the investigation.