The chief executive officer of Baierl Automotive said Wednesday that a $10 million theft by a former employee has “no direct impact to our business operations.”

Lee Baierl also said that new procedures have been implemented companywide to prevent a similar theft.

Patricia K. Smith, 57, of Cranberry Township pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court to one count of wire fraud. She previously was the controller at the Baierl Acura dealership in Wexford.

Officials with the Federal Bureau of Investigation estimate she stole more than $10.2 million over a span of nearly seven years.

Baierl asserted in a news release that Smith was able to perpetrate the fraud and thefts by “inflating vehicle inventory and manipulating records and bank statements.”

The CEO added that while he expects a “significant amount” of money to be recovered by the FBI, he’s anxious to move on from this ordeal.

“We look forward to this case being behind us sometime during the new few months when Ms. Smith will be sentenced for her crime,” he said in the release.

Despite the theft of such a large sum of money, his company just came off a record-setting year in sales of inventory, Baierl said.

Smith will be sentenced May 9 in Pittsburgh.