Lawrence Art Guild members claim a former president of the nonprofit organization stole much more from the group than $1,125 — and in the process nearly destroyed it.

However, the guild will receive no more than that in restitution, a disappointment for organization leaders.

Amanda Monaghan, 36, was sentenced Monday in Douglas County District Court, after recently pleading no contest and being convicted of one count of misdemeanor theft, for stealing $1,125 from the organization in April 2014.

Judge Kay Huff sentenced Monaghan to six months of probation, with the possibility of getting off probation early once she repays $1,125 in restitution to the Lawrence Art Guild. Monaghan has an underlying sentence of 90 days in jail, which she would serve if she doesn’t meet probation conditions.

The judge accepted the sentence that prosecutor Deb Moody and Monaghan’s attorney, Debra Vermillion, agreed on in Monaghan’s plea agreement.

Monaghan is currently living in Shawnee County, attorneys said.

Huff said she received numerous letters from Art Guild members, in addition to a statement read in court by organization representative Linda Baranski.

“I understand from these letters that, really, the accounts are decimated,” Huff said. “I’m sure they feel that they have not really received justice here.”

Huff said a lack of records meant it was difficult to say where those missing funds went. She emphasized that restitution can only be ordered for the amount matching a person’s conviction.

The judge told Monaghan — who did not speak during the hearing — that she showed a lack of remorse, that she betrayed the group’s trust and that she was “deceptive” and even “spiteful” when she shut down the group’s social media site and dissolved the organization with the secretary of state’s office on the eve of an emergency meeting called to kick her out of office.

“Sometimes daylight is the best disinfectant,” the judge said.

The 58-year-old Lawrence Art Guild, a nonprofit organization, is known for organizing long-running local events, including Art in the Park and the Holiday Art Fair.

Monaghan was the Art Guild’s president from 2013 until late 2015.

“Since her election in 2013, Ms. Monaghan consistently began a manipulative and deceptive process to undermine not only the financial stability of the organization but the organization itself,” Baranski said. “… This has cost the organization financially, embarrassed the membership and sullied the reputation of all.”

Baranski chronicled a series of alleged wrongdoings and mismanagement by Monaghan, after which she said the guild’s membership dropped from more than 200 to fewer than 40 and its bank account to less than $600.

As the Journal-World reported at the time, Baranski said board members called an emergency meeting in early 2016, where they voted out Monaghan as president. The day before that meeting, she said, Monaghan secretly went online and dissolved the organization with the state and the IRS — then didn’t show up to the meeting.

Baranski said even after requesting all receipts from Monaghan and reviewing bank records, not all expenditures could be located and the group is missing “thousands” of dollars.

The criminal charge against Monaghan — initially felony theft before being pleaded down to a misdemeanor — stemmed from a payment for which there was a record, prosecutors have said.

According to prosecutors and testimony at a preliminary hearing in the case:

As Lawrence Art Guild president, Monaghan had access to the organization’s bank account, including a bank card for her use. In April 2014, that bank card was used to make a payment of $1,125 for Monaghan’s daughter’s Lawrence Arts Center preschool tuition, and evidence indicated Monaghan made the payment.

Monaghan declined to comment after her sentencing hearing, but her attorney said there were many factors and “nuances” to the case that would have come out if it had gone to trial.

Monaghan, a single mother to three children, led the organization to the best of her abilities and wants to see the group succeed, Vermillion said.

“Poor record-keeping doesn’t always equate to criminal conduct,” Vermillion said.

In her statement, Baranski said the Art Guild has emerged “wary but diligent.”

Baranski defended the Art Guild’s practices, noting that it abides by bylaws and IRS regulations regarding finances.

“For those in the public who wonder how this could have happened, please know that this could happen to any organization, one withdrawal at a time, one diversion of funds at a time, one excuse at a time,” Baranski said. “And no matter how diligent the membership is, people with a criminal mentality will find a way to harm people in the community.”