Arraignment set in embezzlement case
From our weekly issue dated July 21, 2010
Robin Wilson (JCSO photo)
On June 30, in connection with the loss of some $56,000 from an Illinois Valley nonprofit organization, Robin Wilson was booked on charges of identity theft, aggravated identity theft, first-degree forgery and two counts each of first-degree theft and aggravated first-degree theft.
Booked into Josephine County Jail in Grants Pass, Wilson, 50, a former Cave Junction resident, was being held on $52,500 bail.
The criminal charges against her are based on allegations that she stole more than $80,000 from the Illinois Valley-based Forestry Action Committee (FAC), a non-profit organization where she worked for eight years.
According to a Josephine County Sheriff“s Office (JCSO) incident report narrative, Wilson is accused of forging the signatures of two members of the FAC Board of Directors, and altering 36 checks from the organization between January 2006 and October 2008.
Court documents state: “Numerous irregularities were located in the Forestry Action Committee“s bank records. A total of 36 checks were identified as suspicious. The 36 suspicious or forged checks resulted in a loss to Forestry Action Committee of $59,026.58.“
Wilson also is alleged to have used a debit card issued to FAC and Susan Chapp, its executive director, on 108 occasions between July 2007 and November 2008. Documents state that although Wilson was not authorized to use the card, it was used in transactions at several places, including JD“s Sports Pub in Grants Pass and the online gaming site, BigFishGames.
Those debit card transactions totaled $24,455.74, court documents state, adding that numerous cash withdrawals by Wilson are alleged to have occurred, with $3,500 removed from bank ATMs in a one-month period.
“Wilson was never approved to withdraw cash from the ATMs,“ documents state.
The JCSO incident report narrative states that Wilson was “confronted during a meeting with the board of directors of the Forestry Action Committee about her work ethic and the lack of accounting information for the business.“ She was directed to provide them with the laptop computer containing the organization“s accounting information.
All the passwords for the computer had been changed by Wilson, documents state, and “two different sets of books were located.“ One set had been shown to the board of directors during meetings, and “one that was poorly kept over the past two or three years,“ documents state.
A secret indictment for the case was filed in Josephine County Circuit Court on May 20 by Deputy District Attorney Wally Hicks. Court documents listed Chapp as the victim for the aggravated identity theft count, and state that $10,000 or more was taken between June 15 and Dec. 15, 2007.
Court documents state that the charge of aggravated theft in the first degree stemmed from the theft of $10,000 or more from FAC between June 1 and Nov. 30, 2008. One of the first-degree theft charges was for the loss of $5,000 or more from FAC between Dec. 1, 2007 and May 30, 2008, documents state. The other was for the period between Dec. 7, 2007 and May 7, 2008.
A charge of identity theft stemmed from Wilson“s use of Chapp“s identity between Jan. 22 and Feb. 6, 2008, documents state, for an amount of more than $1,000. The first-degree forgery charge was for altering a check for $1,000 or more between Aug. 25 and Aug. 29, 2008, documents state.
On Feb. 2, 2009, Wilson was convicted of stealing from Herb Nichols between Dec. 23 and Dec. 26, 2008. An indictment for that case, stamped Jan. 16, 2009, also listed charges of first-degree forgery and identity theft. It was signed by a grand jury foreman and Deputy District Attorney Michael Caso.
That document states that Nichols testified in person before the grand jury with JCSO Deputy Ed Vincent.
A probable-cause affidavit dated Jan. 12, 2009 states that Wilson took Nichols“ checkbook, wrote a check for $5,000 and deposited checks into her account. Wilson also was alleged to have removed Nichols“ debit card and used it to “pay bills,“ documents state.
According to an amended judgment stamped March 10, 2009 and signed by Circuit Court Judge Lindi Baker, Wilson was sentenced to 24 months of bench probation, 20 days in custody and $437 in assessments.
Court documents state that Wilson had resided in San Mateo, Calif. for around six months prior to being transported to Josephine County Jail. At the time, Wilson had three outstanding local warrants for failure to appear on file, but in a court document dated July 1, she wrote that she “didn“t know there was a warrant out.“
Wilson tentatively is set to be arraigned for the new charges stemming from the alleged FAC thefts on Wednesday, July 21 at 1 p.m. in Josephine County Circuit Court. She apparently will be represented by an attorney from the public defender“s office.
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