A woman long suspected of having stolen nearly $3.4 million from a small school district in Gallina, N.M., has been formally charged with embezzlement.
Kathy Borrego, who was the business manager for Jemez Mountain Schools, a district with 375 students, is accused of writing more than 500 checks to herself, her boyfriend and her daughter over the course of seven years.
"It was a pretty sophisticated scheme. She was in charge of the operations themselves and I think she was misrepresenting to auditors and purposely delaying an audit for many years," said State Auditor Hector Balderas.
Balderas discovered the cooked books last summer. The superintendent of Jemez Mountain schools said Borrego even confessed, but for months no charges had been filed against Borrego.
It's been very frustrating to me. Anytime someone steals $3.4 million from a public school, they should be dealt with swiftly," Balderas said.
Criminal charges were filed on Jan. 13, according to the New Mexico Courts Web site. Borrego faces six counts of embezzlement, one count of improper use of official anthems and four counts of tax evasion.
A civil suit against Borrego was filed on Tuesday. Balderas said the suit is attempting to freeze the assets Borrego allegedly stole.
The civil suit was filed by the school district and the insurance company which paid out a claim to cover the missing money.
They are also suing the private accountants hired by the district for not catching the embezzlement through the years.
District Attorney Angela Spence-Pachecho has been criticized for taking so long to file charges. She did not return News 13's calls requesting comment.
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