| For Immediate Release Case # 09HF1918
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Susan Kang Schroeder Public Affairs Counsel Office: 714-347-8408 Cell: 714-292-2718 Farrah Emami |
HAIR SALON BOOKKEEPER SENTENCED TO TWO YEARS IN STATE PRISON AND RESTITUTION FOR EMBEZZLING $250,000 FROM SALON
NEWPORT BEACH – A hair salon bookkeeper was sentenced today to two years in state prison for embezzling over $250,000 from the salon, where she had worked for over 15 years. Bethany Jane Brady, 43, Newport Beach, pleaded guilty to one felony count of grand theft, one felony count of identity theft, and a sentencing enhancement for loss over $200,000. In addition to being sentenced to two years in state prison, Brady was ordered to pay $250,000 in restitution.
Brady worked for an accounting firm and was assigned to work as a bookkeeper for Hampton Salon in Newport Beach, under the supervision of an accountant for 13 years. When Brady was terminated from the accounting firm, she was hired by Hampton Salon to do their bookkeeping for $250 a month. From October 2006 to August 2009, Brady used the Hampton Salon checking account to pay her personal utility bills. In 2007, Brady opened a PayPal account under her name using the Hampton Salon checking account. She then transferred funds from the checking account into her PayPal account and used the stolen money to pay for personal expenses.
In September 2009, the theft was discovered when a financial audit of the Hampton Salon accounts uncovered discrepancies and a loss of over $250,000.
Deputy District Attorney Yvette Patko of the Major Fraud Unit prosecuted this case.
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