Embezzlement

A former Irvine attorney is accused of embezzling more than $150,000 worth of insurance claims and defrauding his clients, according to prosecutors. Tuan Thanh Tran, 43, pleaded not guilty Friday to 11 felony counts of acts constituting forgery and five felony counts of embezzlement by fiduciary of trust, according to Orange County Superior Court records. Prosecutors allege that Tran represented five different clients who sought damages for traffic accidents between May 2011 and February 2012.

A former Irvine architecture firm executive was sentenced to 13 years in prison and ordered to pay millions in fines and restitution for stealing $1.9 million from his former company. Salvatory Josef Fulwider, 38, of Yorba Linda, was ordered to pay $3.3 million restitution and $3.9 million for embezzling from McLarand Vasquez Emsiek & Partners Inc. between 2003 and 2009. He was convicted of two felony counts of grand theft, nine counts of forgery, 37 counts of falsifying records with sentencing enhancements for stealing more than $1.3 million.

Police arrested a Costa Mesa woman suspected of embezzling money from a high school band booster club, police said. Jennifer Border-Piatti, 50, was arrested Thursday after police served a search warrant at her home and found evidence linking her to the theft of more than $40,000 from the Costa Mesa High School Band Boosters Club, according to the Costa Mesa Police Department. Police believe Border-Piatti stole from the club for years. Police said Border-Piatti, the booster club's treasurer, made credit card purchases and ATM withdrawals from the account that were not related to booster club business.

The Orangewood Children's Foundation's former chief financial officer, who was fired in 2005 amid suspicions of embezzlement, was arrested Thursday on more than 200 charges. Tracy Salcido, 37, of Yorba Linda, is charged with 206 counts of forgery and 20 counts of falsifying records, actions that allegedly helped her obtain more than $780,000 of foundation money. Prosecutors said Salcido forged checks, manipulated accounts and falsified reports of the foundation's expenses and earnings.

Deirdre Newman As a result of the embezzlement 10 years ago of about $4 million, the school district implemented a series of checks and controls to prevent a greedy, powerful employee from having free rein with the district's finances. The embezzlement, discovered in October 1992, shattered the Newport-Mesa Unified School District's credibility and sent the budget director, Stephen Wagner, to jail, where he would eventually die. Wagner had used the stolen funds to support his lavish lifestyle, which included mink-lined tuxedos, expensive cars and jewels.

Deirdre Newman It was 10 years ago that signs of a million-dollar embezzlement first appeared in the Newport-Mesa Unified School District, eventually sending shockwaves through the administration and eroding the public's trust when it turned out the man entrusted with the financial stewardship of the district was responsible. Stephen Wagner, who was the district's budget director, was suspended Oct. 23, 1992 pending an investigation that eventually turned up an embezzlement of close to $4 million.

A spokeswoman for the Orange County Performing Arts Center said Tuesday that the center has employed a check and balance system after a former employee embezzled more than $1 million. Ana Limbaring, who worked in the center's finance department since 1995, was sentenced to 10 years in prison after she pleaded guilty to charges of grand theft and computer fraud Monday in Orange County Superior Court, officials said. In 2000, Limbaring, 53, began stealing cash from the center.

A man who allegedly pointed a high-powered laser at a police helicopter was arrested Thursday at his home in the Villa Point condominiums in Newport Beach, police said Friday. Peter Kontos, the president of the Villa Point Condominium Assn., is also under investigation in the embezzlement of more than $500,000 from the condo association, Newport Police Sgt. Bill Hartford said. Kontos has not been charged in the embezzlement. While serving a search warrant at Kontos' condo early Thursday, police recovered a pointer laser and found more than $100,000 in cash and several grams of cocaine, Hartford said.

All these big corporate bankruptcies and all the cooked books remind me of when I was almost charged with embezzlement. My victim: the city of Newport Beach. It was during the Depression, when cities were going belly up almost as often as today's corporations. Newport Beach kept afloat in large part because of income from the Police Department and city court. Balboa could be guaranteed to furnish 50 to 75 drunks to the city jail on a busy Saturday night.

A bookkeeper, who embezzled $1.7 million from work, was sentenced Thursday to 13 years and four months in state prison, prosecutors said. Rebecca Rhea Moore, 39, of Dyersburg, Tenn., pleaded guilty to multiple felonies, including grand theft by embezzlement, computer access fraud and falsifying records, and forgery, according to the Orange County district attorney's office. Moore forged the company owner's name on checks. In addition to prison time, Moore will have to pay $1.7 million in restitution and $117,578 in state taxes to the California Franchise Tax Board, prosecutors said.

A Huntington Beach man accused of embezzling more than $3 million from customers at a luxury car business pleaded not guilty to 41 felonies Monday, authorities said. Prosecutors allege Farhad Ebadat, 37, promised clients of his Costa Mesa business that he would sell their Rolls Royces, Ferraris, Lamborghinis and other luxury cars on consignment, but instead diverted payments to a personal account. Between 2009 and 2012, Ebadat owned and operated Costa Mesa Bellagio Motors on Placentia Avenue and sold cars worth $25,000 to $225,000 on consignment, according to the Orange County district attorney's office.

The Costa Mesa High School Band Boosters Club is moving forward with new officers, increased parental involvement and the community's renewed support after the arrest of a parent who allegedly stole $40,000 for the program. Newly elected Boosters Club president Mariel LeValley said she has a new list of checks and balances she's going to ensure are followed. "We need to have a good plan in place," she said. "We need to have parents in place. We need more parents. This is a big lesson to learn.

Costa Mesa High School's marching band and its supporters are reeling from allegations that more than $40,000 was stolen from the Band Boosters Club. Mesa's marching band and color guard were stunned to learn that club treasurer Jennifer Border-Piatti, 50, was arrested Oct. 25 on suspicion of embezzling from the club, said band member Jennifer Bernal, 17, who is also a color guard co-captain. "Right now, I guess we're all a little shocked," she said. "We all saw her as a really supportive figure.

Police arrested a Costa Mesa woman suspected of embezzling money from a high school band booster club, police said. Jennifer Border-Piatti, 50, was arrested Thursday after police served a search warrant at her home and found evidence linking her to the theft of more than $40,000 from the Costa Mesa High School Band Boosters Club, according to the Costa Mesa Police Department. Police believe Border-Piatti stole from the club for years. Police said Border-Piatti, the booster club's treasurer, made credit card purchases and ATM withdrawals from the account that were not related to booster club business.

A former Irvine attorney is accused of embezzling more than $150,000 worth of insurance claims and defrauding his clients, according to prosecutors. Tuan Thanh Tran, 43, pleaded not guilty Friday to 11 felony counts of acts constituting forgery and five felony counts of embezzlement by fiduciary of trust, according to Orange County Superior Court records. Prosecutors allege that Tran represented five different clients who sought damages for traffic accidents between May 2011 and February 2012.

A Newport Beach attorney faces charges of embezzling more than $700,000 from two sisters after offering to help them with their finances, prosecutors said Tuesday. Peter David Nitschke, 45, was a family friend of the alleged victims and president of the women's church congregation. He offered to help them following the death of their 95-year-old mother in 2010, according to the Orange County district attorney's office. The mother left her daughters, ages 65 and 69, a house in Northern California and about $675,000 in various bank accounts, prosecutors said.

The former chief financial officer of an Irvine technology company remained in custody Monday after he was denied bail in U.S. District Court, authorities said. Jean Joseph Ibrahim, 33, was indicted last week on two counts of wire fraud related to a $16-million embezzlement scheme. He has been in federal custody since his arrest last month when he reentered the country at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York. He was returned to California on April 11. Ibrahim was assigned to U.S. District Judge Andrew Guilford, according to court records.

A travel manager formerly from Irvine was sentenced to 12 years in state prison for embezzlement after pleading guilty to making numerous unauthorized trips and luxury purchases on company credit cards, authorities said Monday. While working at TravelCorp USA in Anaheim, Jeremy Belisario, 38, bought numerous air travel tickets and lavish items using company cards; he forced his own bank account to OK the sales using a fake authorization code, the Orange County district attorney's office said in a news release.

A former Irvine architecture firm executive was sentenced to 13 years in prison and ordered to pay millions in fines and restitution for stealing $1.9 million from his former company. Salvatory Josef Fulwider, 38, of Yorba Linda, was ordered to pay $3.3 million restitution and $3.9 million for embezzling from McLarand Vasquez Emsiek & Partners Inc. between 2003 and 2009. He was convicted of two felony counts of grand theft, nine counts of forgery, 37 counts of falsifying records with sentencing enhancements for stealing more than $1.3 million.