LANSING, Mich. — A former dealership financial manager was sentenced to 7.5 years in prison for embezzling over $1 million from a Michigan dealership.

Barbara Driy said she used the money for gifts and extravagant vacations for herself, her family and co-workers, reported The Grand Rapids Press. She also supported AMBUCS, a national service organization that helps the disabled.

"I had a need to feel loved and have approval" from others, Driy said as she explained why she scammed Go Dealer Group in Grand Rapids, Mich.

Driy inflated the number of vehicles in the dealership's inventory to hide her crime; this allowed the dealership to get more bank loans.

"The dealership was lulled into believing that it was sustaining large profits," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Dan Mekaru. The fraud cost the dealership approximately $7.4 million, leading to its collapse.

Driy also spent time in prison in 1986 for stealing $300,000, according to Mekaru.

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