Former Law Firm Office Manager In California Charged With Embezzling More Than $480K

Donna Joy Henderson, 67, of Orange, California, has been charged with embezzling more than $480,000 from the law firm of Rinos & Martin, LLP, where she had been employed as office manager with bookkeeping responsibilities. According to authorities, Henderson wrote at least 122 law firm checks payable to herself, cash, personal credit cards, relatives or fictitious businesses and depositing them into her personal bank accounts. The scheme spanned more than 6 1/2 years from January 2003 and September 2009. Henderson has been charged with 14 felony counts of falsifying records and one felony count of grand theft by embezzlement. The scheme was discovered when a new accountant was hired and noticed checks that had been voided were written out to Henderson. She faces up to 14 years in prison if convicted. According to authorities, Henderson is believed to have spent the stolen money to support a lavish lifestyle, including timeshare properties, cruises, home shopping network jewelry and collectibles, home improvements, indoor sauna, pampered pet day spas visits, and gambling. She was arrested January 5th following an investigation by the Tustin Police Department.

Read the story here and here.

Read the Orange County D.A.'s announcement here.

Update (5/24/11): Henderson, now 68, pleaded guilty yesterday to embezzling what is now believed to be $502,000 and was sentenced to four years in state prison. She was also ordered to pay full restitution of that amount.