| For Immediate Release Case # 12NF3312 October 11, 2013 |
Susan Kang Schroeder Chief of Staff Office: 714-347-8408 Cell: 714-292-2718 Farrah Emami
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POLICE ASSOCIATION OFFICER MANAGER SENTENCED TO FOUR YEARS IN STATE PRISON FOR EMBEZZLING OVER $360,000 USING ALTERED PAY CHECKS
*Defendant’s husband was previously convicted and sentenced in this case
FULLERTON – An office manager for the Anaheim Police Association (APA) was sentenced today to four years in state prison for embezzling over $360,000 from her employer by changing the amount on her paycheck after it had been signed by her bosses. Cindy Ann Su’a, 47, Whittier, pleaded guilty to a court offer Aug. 26, 2013, over the objection of the People who advocated for a 10-year state prison sentence. Cindy Su’a pleaded guilty to 117 felony counts of forgery, 23 felony counts of computer access fraud, and two felony counts of willful failure to file tax returns with sentencing enhancements for over $100,000 loss, aggravated white collar crime over $100,000, and property loss over $200,000. She was also ordered to pay $400,000 restitution to APA, pay $105,000 restitution to the Franchise Tax Board (FTB), and fined $654,000.
Cindy Su’a’s husband John Su’a, 47, Whittier, pleaded guilty, Aug. 26, 2013, to a court offer to two misdemeanor counts of willful failure to file tax returns. Over the objection of the People, he was sentenced to 150 days in jail, three years of probation, and ordered to pay $105,000 restitution to FTB.
At the time of the crime, Cindy Su’a was the office manager for the Anaheim Police Association and was responsible for all check writing, company credit cards, and bookkeeping. She was the only paid employee with an approximate salary of $65,000 annually.
Between August 2007 and March 2012, Cindy Su’a embezzled over $360,000 by changing the amount on her paycheck after it had been signed by her bosses. She then used a typewriter correction feature to change her bi-monthly payment amount from $2,489 to $5,489 or $6,489. Cindy Su’a fraudulently paid herself nearly $200,000 one year. She also used the association’s online banking to pay her own bills.
For the 2009 and 2010 tax years, Cindy Su’a and her husband John Su’a failed to file tax returns for their personal income taxes.
This case was discovered when the APA President noticed a discrepancy in Cindy Su’a’s intended annual salary and actual income after receiving delinquency notices regarding her failure to file taxes from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).