Former Adult Education Coordinator Monique Acevedo's attorney has rejected as "extreme" a plea deal offered by prosecutors, according to the Monroe County State Attorney's Office.

State Attorney Dennis Ward said Thursday that he offered Acevedo a 10-year term in state prison in exchange for a guilty plea on charges related to the alleged theft of hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and property improperly charged to a school district credit card.

Patricia Docherty, Acevedo's appointed defense attorney, would neither confirm nor deny that an offer had been rejected, but said Ward previously had spoken of a five-year prison sentence.

"This is what I can say," Docherty said Thursday. "It is the policy of this office not to comment. It was our understanding and impression that this meeting was confidential. We met with Ward because he had spoken previously about a five-year offer."

Ward acknowledged that shortly after Acevedo was first arrested, he and the Public Defender's Office initially discussed the possibility of a five-year sentence -- but the situation changed as more charges were filed and new information came to light, he said.

"That was before I found out that she ripped off the ninth-grade class fundraiser," Ward said Thursday.

Ward said Acevedo's attorney told him the offer was "extreme" and suggested she might seek a change of venue should the case go to trial.

Ward said he would be willing to shave some time off the 10-year sentence if Acevedo was willing to pay restitution to the tune of "hundreds of thousands of dollars."

Acevedo is accused of stealing at least $184,000 in cosmetology class fees; $118,000 through improper credit card purchases, reimbursements and vendor payments; and at least $1,000 in ninth-grade fundraising money.

jguerra@keysnews.com