SAN JOSE, Calif. (Map, News) - The former travel manager for a Silicon Valley high-tech firm is facing a one-year prison term for charging her son's private school tuition and tens of thousands of dollars worth of other person expenses on her company credit card.

Bernadette Escue, 42, of San Francisco, must surrender on Sept. 12 to begin serving the sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge Jeremy Fogel on Thursday.

Escue, who worked as the travel manager for Sunnyvale-based Network Appliance Corp., pleaded guilty in October to one count of wire fraud stemming from the credit card charges. Federal prosecutors said at the time that she faced a maximum prison term of 20 years.

Escue was accused of racking up $90,000 in personal expenses on her company-issued card. Along with the $12,000 private high school tuition, the expenses included equipment for a softball team and travel costs.

Escue's lawyer had urged the judge to sentence her to home detention, adding that his client has a new job as an account manager for an Internet company.