| For Immediate Release Case # 08CF2906 August 23, 2011 |
Susan Kang Schroeder Chief of Staff Office: 714-347-8408 Cell: 714-292-2718 Farrah Emami |
FORMER CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE SENTENCED TO SIX YEARS AND EIGHT MONTHS IN PRISON AFTER ADMITTING PROBATION VIOLATION FOR IDENTITY THEFT OF PRIOR VICTIM
*Defendant previously convicted for stealing over $40,000 by failing to pay for new Mercedes Benz and defrauding hotels
SANTA ANA – A former congressional candidate was sentenced today to six years and eight months in state prison after admitting that she violated probation for stealing the identity of one of her prior victims. Delecia Holt, 49, formerly of Aliso Viejo, was sentenced on Jan. 21, 2010, to five years of probation, 708 days in jail, and was ordered to pay over $40,700 in restitution for defrauding Orange County hotels and stealing a Mercedes Benz from a local car dealership.
Probation Violation
Commissioner Vickie Hix found today that Holt violated her probation by stealing the identity of one of her original victims, an escrow company. The defendant prepared a federal tax return on behalf of the company for the 2009 tax year, during which time she was in Orange County Jail on the original case. She also opened up multiple bank accounts in direct violation of the court’s orders while she was on probation.
Original Case
Holt was found guilty by a jury Dec. 22, 2009, of seven felony counts of writing non-sufficient fund checks, one felony count each of grand theft, and defrauding an innkeeper by non-payment.
In July 2005, Holt went to a Mercedes Benz dealership in Orange County and wrote a bad check for just under $13,000 as a down payment for a $32,000 car. She left the dealership lot in the car and never made 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 defrauded the Comfort Suites in Lake Forest out of $5,000. She lived at the Comfort Suites and wrote two separate checks with insufficient funds over the course of three months. She then fled the hotel after failing to make any legitimate payments for her bill.
In October 2007, Holt hosted a comedy night fundraiser at a Dana Point hotel under the pretense of raising money for Habitat for Humanity. The failed event did not raise any money. Holt wrote a check for $15,000 to the hotel from a personal account to cover the cost of the event. She wrote another check to the four comedians totaling $2,000. She intentionally wrote the checks knowing her account had insufficient funds. The checks were declined when the victims attempted to deposit them.