Former county assessor employee gets four years in prison

A former Cook County Assessor's employee was sentenced to four years in prison Wednesday for stealing $170,000 over four years, the Cook County State's Attorney's Office said in a prepared statement.

Joyce Pierce, 52, of Chicago was manager of the Freedom of Information department and was arrested in August 2007 after a routine audit raised questions about an account she supervised. She pleaded guilty to theft of more than $100,000.

"Pierce used the money to pay for shopping trips to upscale department stores such as Neiman Marcus, Macy's and Nordstrom's. Pierce also admitted that she used the funds to pay a portion of her daughter's college tuition," said prosecutors in a prepared statement.

Pierce, who started in 1998, was making $78,348 at the time she was arrested.