| For Immediate Release Case # 08CF2906
October 9, 2008 |
Susan Kang Schroeder Public Affairs Counsel Office: 714-347-8408 Cell: 714-292-2718 Farrah Emami |
FORMER CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE CHARGED WITH CAUSING $55,000 IN LOSSES FOR STEALING CAR AND DEFRAUDING HOTELS
SANTA ANA – A former congressional candidate has been charged with defrauding Orange County hotels and stealing a Mercedes Benz from a local car dealership amounting to thousands of dollars. Delecia Holt, 46, Aliso Viejo, has been charged with eight felony counts of writing non-sufficient fund checks, one felony count of grand theft, one felony count of perjury by declaration, one felony count of aid by misrepresentation, one felony count of unlawful taking of a vehicle, one felony count of defrauding an innkeeper by non-payment, and a sentencing enhancement for property damage over $50,000. She faces a maximum sentence of 11 years and eight months in state prison if convicted. Holt is being held on $55,000 bail with the requirement that she prove any money is from a legal and legitimate source before posting bond. She was arrested Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2008, by investigators from the Orange County District Attorney’s Office and is scheduled to be arraigned today, Thursday, Oct. 9, 2008, at 1:30 p.m. in Department C-55, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana.
In July 2005, Holt is accused of going to a Mercedes Benz dealership in Orange County and writing a bad check for just under $13,000 as a down payment for a $32,000 car. She is accused of leaving the dealer lot in the car and never making any legitimate payments for the vehicle. Holt’s account from which the $13,000 down payment check was written had insufficient funds and the dealership never received any monthly payments.
Between July 2007 and September 2007, Holt is accused of defrauding the Comfort Suites in Lake Forest out of $5,000. She is accused of living at the Comfort Suites and writing three separate checks over the course of three months with insufficient funds. She is accused of fleeing the hotel after failing to make any legitimate payments for her bill.
In August 2007, Holt is accused of committing perjury by intentionally deceiving the Orange County Social Services Agency by lying on a welfare document and failing to disclose that she had received income in the form of child support. She is accused of committing welfare fraud by accepting welfare funds for which she was ineligible. The amount is to be determined.
In October 2007, Holt is accused of writing several bad checks amounting to thousands of dollars following a failed fundraiser. She is accused of hosting a comedy night fundraiser at a Dana Point hotel under the pretense of raising money for Habitat for Humanity. The event did not raise any money. Holt is accused of writing a check for $15,000 to the hotel from a personal account to cover the cost of the event. She is accused of writing a check to the four comedians for $2,000. She is accused of intentionally writing the checks knowing the account had insufficient funds. The checks were declined when the victims attempted to deposit them. She is accused of failing to pay the photographer and videographer.
In 2005, Holt ran as a write-in candidate for the 47th Congressional District in Orange County. In 2006, Holt was a candidate for the 53rd Congressional District in San Diego.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with additional information is encouraged to contact Supervising District Attorney Investigator Bob Helvin at (714) 347-8691. Deputy District Attorney Marc Labreche of the Major Fraud Unit is prosecuting this case.
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