Santa Clarita Valley woman Neilla Marie Cenci was sentenced Wednesday for stealing over $1.1 million from her employers over more than a decade, then fleeing the state when her crime was discovered.

Cenci, 74, pled no contest to charges in Los Angeles County Court, including grand theft, computer fraud, forgery, and tax evasion totaling $1,143,765, according to officials.

For her crimes, Cenci was sentenced to one year in county jail, 10 years of probation, and ordered to pay over $900,000 in restitution.

Santa Clarita-based Ball Construction Management, Inc. owners Chris and Kristine Ball were reportedly among those from whom Cenci has been charged with stealing money, according to the owners.

The reported grand theft includes the repeated falsification of checks by Cenci, according to court documents.

The Balls stated that the thefts occurred over 12 years, and were only discovered during a routine IRS audit in 2018.

“Cenci’s scheme entailed paying her extravagant personal predict card nills using forged Ball CM corporate checks. Cenci used her credit cards to pay for expensive items such as vacations, jewelry, clothing and medical procedures,” read a statement from Ball Construction Management.

In total, Cenci is estimated to have forged over 1,000 checks, totaling over $1.6 million, per officials.

After her initial arrest in 2018, Cenci reportedly left California, moving to Nevada, then Texas, and finally to Fulton County, Georgia, where she was arrested in April 2021 by the combined efforts of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the United States Marshalls Service, according to officials.

“For me, it’s been a long four years filled with rage and obsession over what this woman did to us. We wanted instant justice, but we had to wait for that,” said Kristine Ball. “It was a huge relief to read my impact statement loud and clear for her to hear. I am ecstatic knowing that this horrible person will soon be behind bars.”

Prosecution for bankruptcy fraud and additional charges remain pending. Cenci potentially faces federal charges for the bankruptcy fraud, per officials.

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