$140K Embezzlement Investigation Ongoing At California Religious Organization

From the Manteca Bulletin on 1/3/2015:

No charges have been filed to date in connection with the alleged $140,000 embezzlement involving the Manteca-Ripon Pentecost Society, known to many as simply the MRPS.

Manteca Police have not received enough information from the Portuguese religious organization, commonly known as MRPS, to proceed with the prosecution. In mid-December, police investigators were making headway in the investigation by talking with the suspect. However, they were unable to proceed further because the subject no longer wanted to cooperate in the investigation, in part because of the stories that appeared in the Manteca Bulletin and, later, other news media including television. Furthermore, the non-profit organization officials are reportedly hesitant in filing the complaint since the suspect has confessed to the wrongdoing and has offered to make restitution.

The suspect, who remains unidentified and whose identity was not revealed by the officers of MRPS, is reportedly no longer working at her job with the San Joaquin County Office of Education since the news was reported in the news media. The suspect was described by an MRPS official as a former officer of the organization.

The money was discovered missing when contractors needed to be paid for the ADA-related (American Disabilities Act) renovations being done to the hall on Grant Street in the downtown district. It was also learned later on that the money has been taken over a number of years. The funds did not involve rents paid for the use of the hall, which is a popular venue for private events such as wedding, anniversaries, fund-raisers, and quinceaneras. Money that was compromised reportedly involved membership fees and proceeds from MRPS dinner-dances.