Woman in embezzling case sentenced to year

Associated Press

A former office manager who embezzled nearly $900,000 from Aloha Termite & Pest Control was sentenced to one year in jail yesterday.

Joann Rodrigues, 54, was also placed on five years' probation and ordered to pay restitution for the money she stole between September 1999 and March 2003.

"I just want to say I'm sorry to everyone I've hurt," Rodrigues said during her sentencing hearing.

Following her indictment in May, Rodrigues claimed she had a gambling problem.

But Deputy City Prosecutor Randal Lee said Rodrigues had used $4,800 worth of the stolen money to buy tickets for a San Diego Chargers football game.

"This goes beyond a problem of gambling. This is purely greed," Lee said.

Rodrigues was accused of writing checks to purchase chemicals, but then cashing the checks herself.

Company owner Shawn Murray said he had considered Rodrigues a dear friend, who was godmother to his first-born child.

"She would always show me the numbers, and that looked OK, she was paying the bills, and she assured me not to worry, we would get through these tough (economic) times and we would get through them together," he said. "All the while, she was pocketing every penny she could."