| For Immediate Release Case # 09NF2986
|
Susan Kang Schroeder Chief of Staff Office: 714-347-8408 Cell: 714-292-2718 Farrah Emami |
FORMER LA HABRA CITY EMPLOYEE SENTENCED FOR STEALING OVER $70,000 FROM
CITY’S COMMUNITY CENTER
SANTA ANA – A former part-time employee of the Community Services Department for the City of La Habra was sentenced today for stealing over $70,000 from the City’s Community Center. Kimberly Lynn Duncan, 24, Brea, pleaded guilty to the court Sept. 7, 2010, to one felony count each of the misappropriation of public funds, forgery, and second degree commercial burglary. Duncan was sentenced today to one year in jail and five years of formal probation. She has paid $11, 500 in restitution and is ordered to pay additional restitution that will be determined by probation.
Between March 27, 2009, and Sept. 8, 2009, Duncan stole over $25,600 in cash from the City of La Habra Community Center while working as a part-time employee. The defendant was responsible for making daily deposits from the Community Center to City Hall. These deposits came from resident payments for City classes, sponsored trips, and venue fees for weddings and meetings hosted at the Community Center.
In addition to failing to deposit and stealing over $25,600, Duncan also failed to deposit an additional $24,000 in checks and $20,700 in credit card receipts to the City Treasurer, which are still unaccounted for and missing. Duncan fraudulently filled out deposit forms to hide her theft and failure to deposit the checks and credit card receipts from the Community Center, which totaled over $70,000. She is accused of using a counterfeit City Hall official stamp to process deposits and forging the initials of Community Center and City Hall employees on checks.
The Community Center discovered and reported the theft in August 2009, after a resident complained that a check from July 10, 2009, had not been cashed. Duncan was arrested Sept. 8, 2009, while at work at the La Habra Community Center.
Deputy District Attorney Marc Labreche of the Major Fraud Unit prosecuted this case.
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