Thursday, March 12, 2009

California Non-Profit Bookkeeper Pleads No Contest In $350K Embezzlement Case

Marilyn F. Machalowski, 69, of San Jose, California and the former accounting manager and payroll administrator of the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health, pleaded no contest to charges she embezzled more than $350,000 from the non-profit health foundation. Machalowski reportedly wrote foundation checks to her daughter and deposited them into an account she jointly controlled. She spent the money on establishing a lavish lifestyle that included luxury vehicles and exotic vacations. The scheme is believed to have gone on for nearly 10 years and accelerated in later years. She was originally charged in July 2008 after an investigative audit revealed the thefts. Machalowski partly blamed her actions on wanting to enjoy life with her terminally ill husband who has since passed away.

Read the story here, here and here.

We have seen the tendency for embezzlers to accelerate their taking over time, starting small and getting much bigger. This usually leads to their downfall...

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

What was the punishment, how many years?