Saturday, November 28, 2009

HEARING DELAYED FOR CHICO, CALIFORNIA MAN FACING CHARGES OF EMBEZZLEMENT

A Chico, California man facing up to 20 years in prison for allegedly embezzling nearly $700,000 from a Catholic charity has once again reset his preliminary hearing in federal court. Thom Randle, 68, was scheduled to appear in court on Friday, but for the 10th time, the status and preliminary hearing has been continued.

Randle is now scheduled to be in court December 18, 2009. He pleaded not guilty at his May 5, 2009 arraignment to multiple counts of mail fraud, computer fraud and money laundering and was released on his own recognizance. The offenses were allegedly committed while Randle served as vice president of finance on the board of directors for the Columbian Retirement Home, operated by the Knights of Columbus.
According to a public relations spokesperson at the U.S. Attorney's Office in Sacramento, there is no limit on how many times a hearing can be rescheduled. Continuances are at the discretion of the judge. The spokesperson said it is not unusual for cases involving financial elements (such as embezzlement charges) to be continued several times due to the large amount of paperwork and research involved.
Randle, a fourth-degree member of the Knights of Columbus, served on three Knights councils in Paradise and Chico. He was serving as state secretary at Our Divine Savior Church when he resigned in January 2007, a few months before the end of his term.

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