Paso Robles bookkeeper sentenced to prison for embezzling $700K
A former bookkeeper for a Paso Robles-based manufacturing firm was sentenced to five years in state prison Thursday for embezzling about $700,000 from the company and about $55,000 from a youth sports nonprofit group over six years.
With time-served and other credits, Denna Carol Serda, 56, will be eligible for parole in about a year and a half. A restitution hearing is scheduled for May 5.
Serda pleaded no contest last month to felony charges of grand theft and embezzlement, with a criminal enhancement of stealing more than $50,000.
She has been in custody at the San Luis Obispo County Jail in lieu of $1.2 million bail since her March 2015 arrest and will now be taken into the custody of California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
She was arrested after investigators served a search warrant at her home and seized her personal bank records related to funds stolen between 2008 and 2014 from Make-It Manufacturing, a thermoplastics engineering firm.
According to the Paso Robles Police Department, Serda forged about 450 company financial documents in order to embezzle the funds during her employment. According to a probation report, Serda also stole about $55,000 from the Paso Robles Youth Sports Council, where she was formerly treasurer.
This story was originally published April 7, 2016 at 4:13 PM with the headline "Paso Robles bookkeeper sentenced to prison for embezzling $700K."