Post by King Ghidorah on May 22, 2014 3:55:48 GMT -5
The Sun reports that Judith Oakes, 49, a school district accountant, was arrested after a video showed her stuffing lunch money into her bra. An audit revealed that Oakes had embezzled $3.1 million in lunch money from the schools over 14 years. Over the past four years, the mother of three has allegedly smuggled about $2,000 a day, three days a week, all in her bra. If she’s convicted of all charges she could face up to 11 years in the big house.
For 14 years, Ms. Oakes was involved in some capacity in counting the cash coming into Nutritional Services from the school sites,” the report reads in part. “She eventually was in charge of those who counted the money and oversaw their training.”
She also had a hand in purchasing and setting up a video camera to monitor what happened in the department’s money counting room.
“Ms. Oakes was involved with the installation of the camera system and was aware of what areas in the room were visible to it,” the report continues.
The department has a money-counting machine that counts bills, and informs workers when there’s enough to “strap” into batches. Oakes reportedly would bind the bills up at the back counter of the room, rather than on the table next to the computer, where she couldn’t be seen on camera.
“Ms. Oakes would then quite frequently take a strap or two of twenty-dollar bills or other denominations and stuff them down her top after checking to make sure the person at the computer was not looking.”
Oakes would then provide a falsified deposit slip when the money was collected, according to the audit.
Accounting irregularities weren’t reported by staff out of fear of reprisals, according to the report.
Oakes also allegedly provided a spreadsheet she prepared to the staff member responsible for reconciling the bank statements with the district’s deposits, rather than the breakdown of checks and cash collected from each school site each month.
Had she done it the way she was supposed to, “that person would have then noted if the cash sales did not match the cash deposited and notified the director accordingly.”
Oakes was arrested Aug. 7 after twice being caught on camera putting money into her bra, according to a Rialto Police Department search warrant.
At the time of her Aug. 7 arrest, she had two packets of $2,000 in $20 bills on her person, and more was found at her San Bernardino home later. She resigned from the district the next day.
slumz.boxden.com/f5/may-21-she-smuggled-3-1m-in-school-lunch-money-2076590/
For 14 years, Ms. Oakes was involved in some capacity in counting the cash coming into Nutritional Services from the school sites,” the report reads in part. “She eventually was in charge of those who counted the money and oversaw their training.”
She also had a hand in purchasing and setting up a video camera to monitor what happened in the department’s money counting room.
“Ms. Oakes was involved with the installation of the camera system and was aware of what areas in the room were visible to it,” the report continues.
The department has a money-counting machine that counts bills, and informs workers when there’s enough to “strap” into batches. Oakes reportedly would bind the bills up at the back counter of the room, rather than on the table next to the computer, where she couldn’t be seen on camera.
“Ms. Oakes would then quite frequently take a strap or two of twenty-dollar bills or other denominations and stuff them down her top after checking to make sure the person at the computer was not looking.”
Oakes would then provide a falsified deposit slip when the money was collected, according to the audit.
Accounting irregularities weren’t reported by staff out of fear of reprisals, according to the report.
Oakes also allegedly provided a spreadsheet she prepared to the staff member responsible for reconciling the bank statements with the district’s deposits, rather than the breakdown of checks and cash collected from each school site each month.
Had she done it the way she was supposed to, “that person would have then noted if the cash sales did not match the cash deposited and notified the director accordingly.”
Oakes was arrested Aug. 7 after twice being caught on camera putting money into her bra, according to a Rialto Police Department search warrant.
At the time of her Aug. 7 arrest, she had two packets of $2,000 in $20 bills on her person, and more was found at her San Bernardino home later. She resigned from the district the next day.
slumz.boxden.com/f5/may-21-she-smuggled-3-1m-in-school-lunch-money-2076590/
