Sheriff's Detectives Make Arrest in Local Embezzlement Case

Santa Barbara - January 17th, 2008

Sheriff’s Detectives conducting a lengthy and detailed embezzlement investigation make an arrest after suspect turns herself in. Charlene Cortez Avila (07/01/64) was arrested on January 17, 2008 after she turned herself into Sheriff’s Detectives upon learning a warrant for her arrest had been issued. Cortez-Avila a past employee of Card Payment Solutions of Santa Barbara was discovered to have embezzled $559,000.00 from the company between October 2004 and June 2007.

In July 2007, Card Payment Solutions discovered a $440,000.00 discrepancy in merchant losses. Through internal research in an attempt to identify the source of the loss, numerous suspicious transactions were discovered. These suspicious transactions in addition to further research led management to a former employee who had been laid off in June of 2007, Charlene Cortez-Avila. Card Payment Solutions then contacted the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department and filed a criminal report. Sheriff’s Detectives, through their investigation were able to identify that Cortez-Avila had been embezzling money from the company since at least October of 2004. Cortez-Avila embezzled $559,000.00 by altering the course of a bank transaction between Card Payment Solutions and their banking institution, and sending these funds into her personal accounts. Cortez-Avila became so proficient in hiding these transactions, she began to embezzle more and more money where the dollar amounts and number of transfers increased over the months, and in some cases were as much as $52, 000.00 a month. 

Sheriff’s Detectives obtained and completed a search warrant on Cortez-Avila’s bank accounts which solidified their ability to obtain a warrant for her arrest. Charlene Cortez-Avila turned herself into Sheriff’s Detectives on January 17, 2008. Cortez-Avila was booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail on Embezzlement related charges and held in lieu of $557,000.00 bail, which was relative to the amount of loss incurred by Card Payment Solutions.

-----

For more information regarding news related issues
please contact Sgt. Alex Tipolt, Public Information Officer.

Business Hours: (805) 681-4100
EMAIL:pio@sbsheriff.org