New London — The former operations coordinator of the Greater Norwich Chamber of Commerce who embezzled nearly $55,000 avoided prison time at her sentencing on Wednesday.

Jennifer Chauvin, 45, received a fully suspended sentence and five years of probation, having agreed to pay back the $54,919 she stole from her former employer, according to court records. Chauvin, who previously pleaded guilty to first-degree larceny in the case, appeared for sentencing Wednesday before Judge Hillary Strackbein in New London Superior Court. Chauvin has paid back $10,000 in restitution to date.

Norwich police arrested Chauvin in 2019 following an investigation into use of a chamber credit card for personal expenses such as groceries, clothing, household items and bills.

Chauvin had started work for the chamber from 2014 and was fired in 2018 for “breach of trust and performance issues” not related to the thefts, police said. During her interviews with police, she admitted to the theft from the chamber and said she had been struggling financially and began using her chamber credit card for her family’s everyday expenses.

g.smith@theday.com