Politics & Government
Two Sentenced to Prison For Embezzling From San Mateo County Mosquito District
Jo Ann Dearman and Vika Sinipata embezzled the funds by giving themselves extra pay, higher pay rates, and fraudulent time off.
A former mosquito district financial director convicted of embezzling more than $450,000 was sentenced today to eight years in state prison, District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said.
Jo Ann Dearman, 62, was also ordered by Judge Jonathan Karesh to pay $502,000 to the San Mateo County Mosquito and Vector Control District and a $997,000 finr, Wagstaffe said.
Her bookkeeping assistant, Vika Sinipata, 37, was sentenced to four years in state prison and must pay $259,000 in restitution.
Dearman, who also goes by the alias Joanne Seeney, pleaded no contest in April to 10 felonies in exchange for receiving a sentence of no more than 11 years in prison.
Sinipata pleaded no contest in February to 12 felony charges.
Dearman and Sinipata embezzled the funds between 2009 and 2011 by giving themselves extra pay, higher pay rates, and fraudulent time off, Wagstaffe said.
The two women also transferred funds into their personal bank accounts and used district credit cards for personal purchases.
Dearman's attorney Geoff Carr presented a personal check from Dearman to the court in December for $200,000 to partially cover the anticipated restitution.
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