Cafeteria Gambler

Hi Folks,

Today I want to give you a little light reading. All the talk of murder and mayhem (have not really started on the mayhem stories yet) does get a little tiring and somewhat depressing.

So, today, I will talk about Wilhelmina Ignacio, now 50, who took thousands of dollars from school cafeteria coffers and gambled it at Indian casinos in the area.

Ignacio also sent money to family in the Philippines.

Ignacio had worked 13 years for the Murrieta Valley Unified School District, in Riverside County California, before she was arrested in December 2007.

The woman, over an 18-month period between April 2006 and November 2007, took more than $260,000 in cafeteria receipts.
Rather than face a trial,Ignacio pleaded guilty and in 2008 was sentenced to one year in jail and three years probation.

Ignacio got off easy. Because of jail time spent and credit for good behavior, she spent not one day of her sentence behind bars.

Of course, a felony conviction means that it will be harder for her to find a job and there is no way the school district for which she worked so many years will give her a recommendation for any other employment.


She must pay $20,000 in restitution to the district, though I think that is light, compared with what she took.

But she must also pay court costs.

She cannot get unemployment, because she resigned while her case was progressing through the courts.

My queston is this. How thoughtless are you? How did you think that the automated systems of the school district, one of the best in Southern California, would not catch you out?

I mean, a few bucks here and there might not be noticed (though I doubt it) but thousands of dollars in less than two years?

That would have to be hundreds or maybe several or more thousand at a time..And pretty much taking money from the children...how low can you go Wilhelmina?
.

Doing the math, it comes to about $14,000 a month?

Really? most people don't get paid that much per month...

"She was very familiar with the processes and procedures that we had in place," said Karen Parris,information officer for the district.

According to Parris, a number of "checks and balances" were in place to ensure that money taken from the children for their lunches was safe.

Well, the money is safe now that Wilhelmina is outta there. Good riddance to bad rubbish, I say.