| For Immediate Release Case # 09NF2986
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Susan Kang Schroeder Chief of Staff Office: 714-347-8408 Cell: 714-292-2718Farrah Emami Spokesperson Office: 714-347-8405 Cell: 714-323-4486 |
A PART-TIME CLERK FOR THE CITY OF LA HABRA CONVICTED OF STEALING OVER $70,000 FROM CITY’S COMMUNITY CENTER
*Note: This defendant served as a part-time clerical staff member for the City. She is in no way related to the “City Clerk” of La Habra.
SANTA ANA – A part-tim clerk for the City of La Habra was convicted today of stealing over $70,000 from the City’s Community Center. Kimberly Lynn Duncan, 24, Brea, pleaded guilty to the court to one felony count each of the misappropriation of public funds, forgery, and second degree commercial burglary. She faces a maximum of 5 years four months in state prison at her sentencing Nov. 9, 2010, at 9:00 a.m. in Department C-5 Central Justice Center, Santa Ana.
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 clerk. 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 failed to also 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 the theft in August 2009, after a resident complained that a check from July 10, 2009, had not been cashed.
Deputy District Attorney Marc Labreche of the Major Fraud Unit is prosecuting this case.
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