Boys & Girls Clubs worker sentenced for embezzling more than $134,000
A 37-year-old woman formerly employed by the Boys & Girls Clubs of La Habra was sentenced Monday to three years in prison for embezzling more than $134,000, authorities said.
Lynette Rojas of La Habra was arrested in December and later pleaded guilty in an Orange County court to one felony count of grand theft by embezzlement, 24 felony counts of computer access and fraud, aggravated white-collar crime and property damage.
Prosecutors said she used some of the money to pay for breast implants.
At her sentencing Monday, Rojas was ordered to pay $165,000 in restitution and $270,000 in fines in addition to serving jail time, said officials with the Orange County District Attorney's Office.
Rojas worked as an executive assistant for the nonprofit since April 2008 and was responsible for preparing and submitting payroll data and completing cash and check bank deposits.
The La Habra Police Department said Rojas processed about $25,000 in extra payroll to herself, stole more than $109,000 in cash that was to be deposited into the nonprofit’s bank account and attempted to hide her tracks by altering documents and signing the names of two club directors.
During Rojas’ sentencing, a member of the nonprofit’s board of directors gave a victim-impact statement to the court.
“[Rojas] was well aware that the money that she was stealing came directly from parents who paid for their children to attend our extended daycare program,” Dawn Stille said. “She knew how hard those parents worked to pay for their childcare at the club and how the money generated from that program was essential to the financial success of our club.”
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Boys & Girls Clubs theft: La Habra woman accused of stealing $134,000
-- Corina Knoll
EDITOR'S PICKS:
what is this world coing too? Every where every one is scamming the city, non-profit organizations, etc...LA Times good job on the stories you uncover to put all these crooks in jail. But why haven't you pursue the collapse of the market and investigated Goldman Sachs, BofA, and other institutes that are still operating today? What about the president Obama hiring the same idiots that were part of the disaster in 2008, please write about this.
Posted by: mce101087 | April 18, 2011 at 02:08 PM
What kind of horrible person would do such a thing? Stealing from a kids program?
Posted by: Carmine | April 18, 2011 at 02:26 PM
Are we to suppose that this is the only Non-Profit director or executive that has embezzled? I'm sure she is not alone! She's the one that was CAUGHT! Many of those who work for non-profits inflate their salaries too!
Posted by: Rosario | April 18, 2011 at 02:48 PM
I once tried to report the nonprofit I worked for for similar "misuse" of federal and states funds. Both the state of California and the feds told me there were not interested and that they do not pursue investigations into that type of thing - it was only a few hundred K after all! That's when I left the nonprofit field never to return. And I only give money to a very few, select, nonprofits. Most nonprofits are crooks and break the law regularly because they know they can get away with it.
Posted by: KnowBetterNow | April 18, 2011 at 03:22 PM
The Boys & Girls Clubs are a great organization, locally and nationally. They do an amazing job for kids, many of whom need them the most. There are dishonest people everywhere. I am happy the theft was found out, and happy the perp is being punished. I disagree with one of the posters. I think the VAST majority of human service agencies are honest, do good work and are staffed and volunteered by people who work hard and have loving and devoted character.
Posted by: Farnorth | April 18, 2011 at 04:59 PM
That's a little rough to steal from the Boys and Girls club, that money could have gone to much better things
Posted by: Beach Bedding | April 18, 2011 at 05:39 PM
Who allows such abuse with that amount of money piling up with no oversight?
Posted by: Montana Gold- | April 18, 2011 at 10:34 PM