| For Immediate Release Case # TBA
October 30, 2009 |
Susan Kang Schroeder Public Affairs Counsel Office: 714-347-8408 Cell: 714-292-2718 Farrah Emami |
LONGTIME HAIR SALON BOOKKEEPER CHARGED WITH GRAND THEFT AND LAUNDERING OVER $245,000
SANTA ANA – A longtime bookkeeper was charged today with grand theft and laundering over $245,000 from the hair salon she worked with for over 15 years. Bethany Jane Brady, 43, Newport Beach, is charged with one felony count each of grand theft, identity theft, computer access fraud, and money laundering with a sentencing enhancement for causing losses over $200,000. If convicted, Brady faces a maximum sentence of seven years in state prison. Brady is being held on $250,000 bail and must prove the money is from a legal and legitimate source before posting bail. She is expected to be arraigned Monday, Nov. 2, 2009, in Department CJ-1, Central Jail, Santa Ana. Time is to be determined.
Brady worked for an accounting firm and was assigned 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 is accused of using the Hampton Salon checking account to pay her personal utility bills. In 2007, Brady is accused of opening a PayPal account under her name using the Hampton Salon checking account. She is accused of transferring funds from the checking account into her PayPal account. Brady is accused of using her PayPal credit card to pay for her 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 $245,000, which led to Brady’s arrest yesterday by the Newport Beach Police Department.
Deputy District Attorney Yvette Patko of the Major Fraud Unit is prosecuting this case.
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