Morales Law Firm

Housing Clinic Manager Sentenced for Embezzlement

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The former property manager for Tenderloin Housing Clinic in San Francisco pleaded guilty to charges of embezzlement. James Holland (41) admitted to embezzling from the non-profit institution, cheating them out of more than $30,000.

The Modus Operandi

According to the authorities, Holland collected $15,000 from the tenants of the housing clinic in the form of rent checks. He then proceeded to deposit the checks into his own bank account. In addition to this, he placed an advertisement on Craigslist, an online site for classified advertisements, for a tenant. He allowed the tenant to move into a unit in the building without notifying the officials of the Tenderloin Housing Clinic. After this, he rented a post office box to collect the $18,000 rent that the new tenant was paying for the unit.

The prosecution has revealed that the embezzlement took place over the course of 16 months between June of 2008 and September of the following year.Holland was charged with grand theft, embezzlement and 19 counts of forgery. He will be sentenced to one year in county jail and will be on probation for another year. He was also ordered by the court to pay $33,000 as restitution to the Housing Clinic and is prohibited from entering any of the Clinic’s locations throughout the city.

What is Embezzlement?

This case falls under the aegis of San Francisco White Collar Criminal Defense. A person guilty of embezzlement will have held a position of authority and is entrusted with the well being of a property that belongs to another. The agent will have stolen money or assets, or both via legal channels and then will proceed to misuse them without the permission of the owner.

The penalty for embezzlement can come in the form of jail time. The minimum amount of time spent in prison is 30 days, the maximum is 30 years. Probation can also vary from 2 months to 25 years. In some cases the culprit can also be fined.

To learn more about white collar crime, contact us to set up a consultation with Mr. Morales.