A former Tucson Unified School District employee was indicted on theft charges in relation to nearly $3,000 that she failed to deposit for Pueblo High School in 2018, according to state officials.
Rosa Maria Ordonez, the former finance manager for the Pueblo High School bookstore, was charged with two counts of theft, both Class 5 felonies, and one count of violation of duties and liabilities of custodian of public money, a Class 4 felony, according to a news release from Attorney General Mark Brnovich.
“Our investigation revealed that in July and August 2018, Ms. Ordonez may have embezzled $2,974 of bookstore receipts and change funds, cash provided from the district to Pueblo High School to make change for cash transactions,” the Arizona auditor general said in its report released Wednesday.
The case was investigated by the Arizona auditor general and is being prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Office.
According to the audit report, Ordonez, 43, failed to deposit cash that she received on behalf of Pueblo High School at the bookstore and sporting events, as well as payments made by students’ families and donors for school-related purposes between July and August 2018.
Additionally, the report stated the finance manager who later replaced Ordonez found 15 checks dating from 2006 to 2015 that totaled $3,309 that had not been deposited. However, the indictment did not mention those accusations in the charges against Ordonez.
Ordonez was hired as the school’s bookstore finance manager in February 2003, becoming responsible for recording and depositing payments related to athletic events, yearbooks, parking permits and academic fees.
According to the indictment, she stopped reporting for work in August 2018 and ultimately resigned in September 2018 without returning the district funds.
The Arizona auditor general opened the investigation after TUSD officials reported the allegation of Ordonez’s financial misconduct. The Arizona Attorney General’s Office presented the investigation findings to a state grand jury in September, which ultimately indicted Ordonez on the three felony charges Wednesday.
TUSD officials reported to the auditor general that the district has improved internal controls over bookstore receipts by expanding its cash-handling training to include all employees who may handle cash; requiring bookstore finance managers to complete several additional trainings; and hiring an internal auditor to review cash-handling and receipting practices at the school level. The report said several additional steps need to be taken by the district to ensure proper handling of money.
