A woman who stole more than $100,000 from a Yellowknife family-owned company has been sentenced to 13 months in jail.

Coleen McClean was also ordered to pay $114,000 back to her former employer, Northern Communications and Navigation Systems, through a restitution order, and will serve two years of probation.

In May, McClean admitted to forging the signature of Jim Pook, the company’s owner, on cheques made out to herself or family members over a period of three years.

She initially faced 127 charges but pleaded guilty to one count of theft over $5,000 and one count of using the 63 forged documents.

The judge requested McClean serve her time at the Fort Smith Correctional Complex.

Pook said McClean was a bookkeeper for seven years at his business. His bank alerted him last May that a cheque for almost $30,000 had gone through his account.

He fired her over the phone and then called the RCMP.

Pook said he had no income for months, and had to dip into his savings for $20,000.

“The hardest part was seeing her around town, just carrying on, and my life had changed,” he said.

Pook said her jail sentence doesn't make him feel any better.

“Her getting 13 months and thinking about her getting out of jail in six months or less makes me mad because she stole a hell of a lot more than that from me,” he said.

So far McClean has returned $500.