A Pittsburg woman who embezzled nearly $250,0000 by tracing her employer’s signature onto checks and used a company credit card to pay her daughter’s phone bill was convicted Thursday by a Contra Costa County jury.
Jenelle Silva, 44, was found guilty of six felonies, including identity theft and the embezzlement of her former employer, Bay Area Washout Systems of Pittsburg, according to the Contra Costa District Attorney’s office.
Prosecutors said Silva obtained access to the company’s books and records, including the accounting software, when she was appointed office manager in 2012.
One of her duties included printing checks for the partners of the company to sign, according to DA spokesman Scott Alonso.
From 2012 through January 2017, she printed additional checks written out in her own name, prosecutors said. After tracing the managing partner’s signature onto the checks, Silva deposited them. She also used a company credit card to pay her daughter’s phone bill, according to the district attorney. The amount embezzled amounted to $247,456, officials said.
Silva tried to delete evidence of the embezzlement by removing the records for the checks entirely or changing the entries to make the checks look like legitimate business expenses, prosecutors said.
A forensic accountant determined that Silva spent the stolen funds on personal expenses such as groceries, gasoline, Starbucks, and movies.
In addition, the jury found guilty of crime enhancements of committing two or more felonies involving a loss of over $100,000.
The Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office previously prosecuted Silva for embezzling $80,000 from the insurance company where she worked before Bay Area Washout Systems and she had a prior felony conviction in 2011 for embezzlement.
Silva faces up to five years in prison, and sentencing is set for Oct. 18 at 1:30 p.m. before Contra Costa County Judge Castellanos.
Only 5 years in prison? Most likely she will get out and another employer will be stupid enough to hire her so she can start the next embezzlement. Obviously the last employer did not run a $5 online background check upon hiring her or they would have seen her criminal history and prior felony charge.
I’m afraid to take something/anything like even a battery from my office supplies – this chick took it to another level!
So what happens – does she have to pay all the money back or get off entirely? Unbelievable.
She only gets 5 cause it was an inside job. Too bad cause the convictions assures she is no longer bondable. Now how can she earn a living wage?
If she’s got a Master Forgery Degree then that company will hire her now. A Forgery Company.
Boil Her !
She should get another 10 years for just being so stupid.
The next time somebody whines that felony convictions make “otherwise good people” unemployable, I’m bringing up this story.
Trust . . . . BUT verify.
From 2012 – 2017, did upper management at the company decide an outside auditor every couple of years was too expensive ? ?
No initial crappy background check and never followed up with any sort of depth.
Sounds like in five years she will be embezzling from someone else.
A forensic accountant…. man, I could use one of those… I have NO idea where all my money goes…
Good one! Made me smile……..
You left out the best part:
“The Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office previously prosecuted Ms. Silva for embezzling $80,000 from the insurance company where she worked before Bay Area Washout Systems. Accordingly, she had a prior felony conviction in 2011 for embezzlement at the time of her conduct in this case”.
So about $50k a year? Spent it on gasoline and coffee?
That’s a lotta lattes…
There’s got to be more to this story. Was she providing other “services” to her employers for them to look the other way?
It sounds like this employer: A) Did not do a background check & B) Was lax in auditing. Poor business practices put companies out of business.
“Gee Mom, thanks for paying my phone bill.” Great role model for her daughter!! Is there no shame?? What trash!!!
I get where you’re coming from, but you shouldn’t bring the daughter into this.
I grew up with a single mom who engaged in some less-than-legal behaviors. However, I didn’t even realize what was going on until I was basically an adult. It’s very likely that this woman’s daughter didn’t know what was going on.
“There’s A Higher Power” that keeps me from even thinking about doing something felonious. That and the thought of disappointing my Mother, Bless her soul.
That happened where I worked and I had to go to court and I had to read out loud to the court and to the jury how many times this lady covered up her steps and I read so many of those instances that they had bring me a glass of water because I was losing my voice I was up there for over an hour. I remember the judge had a safety pin to hold her broken frames together on her glasses. That was a long day.
This ethically challenged woman clearly has a future in politics!
LMAO! Love it and so true.
How much time did she serve for the 2011 conviction before landing the job in 2012????
She gave her word that she would never do it again 🙂
If you want to commit embezzlement don’t be an accountant, go into advertising or marketing or admin, then you can say its all company expenses.