UTICA — An employee at a Utica law firm is accused of altering the payroll to give herself more than $27,000 in bonuses over the past year, according to the Utica Police Department.

Police said Karen Durant, 42, of Ilion, would intentionally alter her salary and give herself bonuses between $500 and $2,000 over multiple payroll weeks over the past year. The theft was discovered when an accounting firm conducted an audit on the law firm's finances, and the firm contacted law enforcement in early September.

Durant stole more than $27,000 over the past year, police stated. She was taken into custody this week.

Durant is charged with one count each of third-degree grand larceny and first-degree falsifying business records, authorities said. She is scheduled to appear in Utica City Court.