A Concord woman who wrote herself a $120,600 payroll check from her employer's bank account was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison this week.

Kelli Ludwick had only been working at E.D. Swett Inc. in Concord for a short time when she went to a local Bank of America branch in October 2008 looking to deposit the six-figure paycheck. Tellers at the bank thought it was suspicious, prosecutors said, and alerted the police.

Prosecutors said she forged the company president's signature.

Court records show Ludwick had access to E.D. Swett's financial records and accounts, including payroll checks.

The company, founded in 1936, specializes in highway contracts for bridges, steel sheet piles and cofferdams, according to its website. No one there returned phone messages seeking comment yesterday.

For months, the Concord police and U.S. Secret Service investigated the case until a federal grand jury found there was enough information to indict Ludwick in February.

In a deal with prosecutors for less time behind bars, she pleaded guilty in July to a single felony count of bank fraud.

On Monday, she was back in federal court for sentencing. U.S. District Court Judge Paul Barbadaro imposed five years of probation, restitution to her employer and drug counseling.