A Santa Clarita Girl Scouts treasurer has been charged with embezzling more than $93,000 from the Girl Scouts and a local cancer center over a four-year period, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday.
Sponsored Articles
Patricia Cascione, 52, of Santa Clarita, faces two felony counts of embezzlement by a public or private officer, according to the criminal complaint in a case filed this week.
Cascione is expected to be arraigned Thursday in Department 30 of the Foltz Criminal Justice Center, said D.A.’s Office officials.
“During the investigation, detectives also determined Mrs. Cascione, while CFO of the Beverly Hills Cancer Center, and was alleged to have committed theft by false pretense of over $30,000,” said LASD officials.
She was also responsible for fundraising for numerous other organizations in the Santa Clarita Valley.
See Related: Santa Clarita Girl Scouts Treasurer Arrested For Embezzling $88k In Funds
Cascione, a certified public accountant, was the chief financial officer of the Beverly Hills Cancer Center and the volunteer treasurer for two local Girl Scouts of the United States of America chapters as well as a Girl Scouts service unit when the alleged crimes occurred, according to prosecutors.
Following her arrest, which was the conclusion of a 15-month investigation, detectives served a search warrant at the suspect’s residence and recovered additional evidence, according to authorities.
From March 1, 2013, to Feb. 13, 2017, Cascione is accused of using funds totaling $58,863 from the Girl Scouts accounts for her personal use, according to prosecutors.
Furthermore, in her CFO role, the defendant allegedly diverted $34,500 in donations from the cancer center to one of her Girl Scouts accounts in order to embezzle the money, prosecutors said.
See Related: Officials Comment On Ongoing Santa Clarita Girl Scout Embezzlement Investigation
The case remains under investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Emerging Cyber Trends Team.
Although LASD Cyber Crimes Bureau detectives have confirmed that their current case only involves the two victims — Girls Scouts of the USA Troops and the Beverly Hills Cancer Center — Sgt. David Chambers has said that she was involved in a number of “youth activities” here in Santa Clarita.
Cascione’s name was listed as the Saugus High School girls’ soccer team “Fundraiser.” KHTS also learned that Cascione was in charge of the GoFundMe Page for Wyatt Savaikie — a 14-year-old boy who was struck and killed by a vehicle in 2015 in Saugus.
Cascione faces a possible maximum penalty of up to three years and eight months in local custody if convicted as charged.
Prosecutors are recommending bail be set at $125,000.
Report a typo or error, email Corrections@hometownstation.com
KHTS FM 98.1 and AM 1220 is Santa Clarita’s only local radio station. KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, and features along with your favorite adult contemporary hits. Santa Clarita news and features are delivered throughout the day over our airwaves, on our website and through a variety of social media platforms. Our KHTS national award-winning daily news briefs are now read daily by 34,000+ residents. A vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community, the KHTS broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. The station streams its talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience. Follow @KHTSRadio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.