Sacramento Federal Criminal Defense Law Blog

Prosecutors in California say that the director of a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping children with special needs embezzled approximately $675,000 from the group between 2013 and 2015. The 57-year-old Santa Cruz woman was taken into custody by investigators from the Monterey County District Attorney's Office on March 19. Media reports suggest that prosecutors began investigating the nonprofit group in 2015 after an accountant hired by the woman reported a number of suspicious transactions to the California Attorney General's Office.

A team of forensic accountants determined that financial records turned over by the woman in January 2016 were incomplete, and these suspicions prompted investigators to obtain warrants to scrutinize her bank accounts, credit card bills and other financial documents. According to prosecutors, this investigation revealed that the woman used the organization's funds to pay for a lavish lifestyle that featured luxury automobiles, designer clothing and accessories and extravagant travel and entertainment.

A California woman was sentenced to three years of probation on March 12, 2018. The 54-year-old former firefighter from San Bruno, was found guilty of embezzlement for taking money from fire department bank account that was used to host its annual toy drive. San Mateo County prosecutors said that the woman stole $25,583 from the account during a period of time ranging from January 2015 through October 2016. While the woman reportedly claimed that she had done so in anger at mistreatment she faced as a woman in the firehouse, prosecutors said that they did not believe this account of her motivation. They said that no evidence was presented that she was mistreated and that, even if true, it was not a defense to embezzlement charges.

While the woman was initially charged with felony embezzlement, the charge was reduced to a misdemeanor after her defense lawyer showed that she had paid restitution to replace the missing funds. In addition to the probation time, she was also sentenced to 300 hours of community service. She must complete this work with victims of fires in Sonoma County before September 2019.

California was the first state to create a medical marijuana program, and now they've joined the growing number of states who allow adults to purchase, grow and use marijuana for recreational purposes. There is likely to be an increase in tourists visiting California, at least in part, to enjoy legalized marijuana. However, if you try to take that marijuana home with you, it could cause serious legal issues.

While California has legalized adult use of marijuana and many other states also permit or regulate the drug for medical or recreational purposes, the federal government still considers marijuana to be a Schedule I substance. Even those who comply with state laws inside states with legalization laws could face federal prosecution for anything from possession to sales. Trying to leave a state like California with large amounts of marijuana in your vehicle or in your possession could also cause issues.

A woman who had been convicted on charges relating to embezzlement was sentenced to two years and eight months in a California women's prison. She was accused of falsification of corporate books and state income tax evasion, as she failed to report the embezzled income on her tax returns.

The 48-year-old woman worked as a bookkeeper for a Stockton company and was arrested in June 2017. She was accused of embezzling nearly $500,000 over the nine years she worked at the corporation. She allegedly took the money from the company in a number of ways. She set up an electronic debit to pay her monthly home mortgage in addition to forging checks for personal expenses and creating electronic debits and drafts that actually covered her personal spending.