Top official stole from children's center, bought a pool, went shopping
The former chief financial officer of Orange County’s Orangewood Children’s Foundation was convicted today of stealing more than $780,000 from the nonprofit for abused children.
Tracy Lynn Salcido, 40, pleaded guilty in Orange County Superior Court to 206 felony counts of forgery and 20 felony counts of falsifying records. She was sentenced to 12 years in prison and ordered to pay $1.15 million in restitution and legal and accounting fees stemming from the case.
Prosecutors say that, between 1999 and 2005, Salcido forged 206 checks from Orangewood’s accounts and deposited them in an outside business account. She tried to hide the theft by under-reporting donations to the foundation and overstating expenses.
Salcido used the stolen money for a pool and spa at the Yorba Linda home she shared with her husband, vacations, shopping sprees and several vehicles, including a BMW.
Founded in 1981, Orangewood built and supports the county’s only emergency shelter for neglected and abused children.
-- Mike Anton in Orange County
What a disgusting piece of crap you are Tracey
Posted by: Tony | November 04, 2009 at 02:27 PM
what a piece of human? excrement this woman is. jail is not enough.
Posted by: ferenc | November 04, 2009 at 02:33 PM
The cheapest way to prevent this type of fraud is to require more than one executive signing off on checks regardless of the amount. And a yearly audit.
Posted by: kooo | November 04, 2009 at 02:37 PM
It is comforting to know in this corrupts woman afterlife, she'll be sweating it out for eternity in a fiery hot-place. Preferably with pitch-fork marks in her backside. Really makes you sick how low people can go.
Posted by: Charles Vought | November 04, 2009 at 02:38 PM
I simply do not understand why such a prosecution should take so long. Justice delayed is justice denied. Four years? After the evidence they had? After all these years its hard to remember the pain she caused to that organization and all the people that donated to it. Can anyone at the OC DA's office explain this?
Posted by: Why so long | November 04, 2009 at 02:50 PM
reprehensible. disgusting. i suppose she will use the race card as D.C.'s Casa de Familia has since it was revealed, via an FBI investigation, that close to one million dollars is unaccounted for.
Posted by: Tara | November 04, 2009 at 02:57 PM
Good! She and her husband should share a cell. What nerve of this person to steal. Those poor childen at the home that need the funds to "make it" in the community. SHAME ON HER AND HER HUSBAND! I'm glad she got time and has to pay restitution. VERY GREEDY! What goes around -- comes around!
Posted by: renee espino | November 04, 2009 at 02:59 PM
As a Board member of a children's center in LA, I am more than disgusted by this behavior. We work so hard to get our agency in the limelight and for donations to help the children. Many in our organization work as volunteers. The professionals in our agency work very hard for the salaries they make. The satisfaction is in the results seen with the children and their families. It is NEVER about what can we as volunteers, Board members and staff members get for ourselves. I hope the guilty people in this situation are held accountable to the full extent of the legal system.
Posted by: Pamela Scott | November 04, 2009 at 03:52 PM
how come we freak out when we find someone like this ripping us off but do nothing when bankers/wall street/AIG/and especially GS robs us thousands of fold higher? We should be rioting in the streets and burning banks to the ground!
Posted by: Fred | November 04, 2009 at 05:32 PM
sounds like peter and maryanne
Posted by: helen | November 04, 2009 at 06:12 PM
how come we freak out when we find someone like this ripping us off but do nothing when bankers/wall street/AIG/and especially GS robs us thousands of fold higher? We should be rioting in the streets and burning banks to the ground!
Posted by: Fred | November 04, 2009 at 05:32 PM
reprehensible. disgusting. i suppose she will use the race card as D.C.'s Casa de Familia has since it was revealed, via an FBI investigation, that close to one million dollars is unaccounted for.
Posted by: Tara | November 04, 2009 at 02:57 PM
Fred and Tara, Both of you are sooooooo RIGHT!
Posted by: TexasRN | November 04, 2009 at 07:08 PM
I would like to know when someone will investigate how much money was
stolen from the children of Watts by our Politicians and so-called
community leaders with their political back Non-profit agencies for the
last twenty years.
Posted by: dee | November 04, 2009 at 07:25 PM
This gal got 12 years for several non violent crimes, can you imagine what Fred will get for rioting and arson (burning banks to the ground), he'll probably get about 25 years...good advice Fred...
How about prosecuting these dubious people from AIG, GS etc...and legally confiscating all of their assets...
Fred wrote: "how come we freak out when we find someone like this ripping us off but do nothing when bankers/wall street/AIG/and especially GS robs us thousands of fold higher? We should be rioting in the streets and burning banks to the ground!" Posted by: Fred | November 04, 2009 at 05:32 PM
Posted by: TheBigPicture | November 04, 2009 at 10:44 PM
Hmmm, you get upset when it's people steal from a charity, but no one cares when the right wing loots the national treasury....very interesting.
Posted by: Rod Smith | November 05, 2009 at 07:22 AM
I hope they find the evidence they need to convict her husband too. How could her husband not know she was bringing in extra money home and buying such expensive items with cash. I'm sure all of us could say our spouses would be suspicious .... How did he get away with it and let her take all the blame. He is as guilty as she is.
They both are arrogant and uncaring. They only have remorse that they got caught. She is only sorry she does not have the lifestyle she did have.
I have met them both and they are uncaring criminals.
Posted by: Claudia Poore | November 05, 2009 at 10:35 AM