CASA embezzler to serve home detention
If not for her son’s disabilities, Rhonda Richardson would be headed to jail for embezzling thousands of dollars from a North Idaho nonprofit that represents abused children in court.
Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill instead ordered Richardson, former executive director of Court Appointed Special Advocates, to serve six months of home detention, complete community service and write a letter of apology.
Richardson was also ordered to repay CASA $5,218.17 – just a portion of the $60,000 that CASA said went missing or was mismanaged in the 9 months Richardson was executive director.
Winmill also sentenced the 54-year-old Hillsboro, Ore., woman to five years’ probation.
“Believe me, you do not want to violate probation,” Winmill said during Monday’s hearing in Coeur d’Alene. “At that point, it will not matter what your son’s circumstances are.”
Richardson, then Rhonda Naylor, was executive director of CASA from September 2003 to June 2004. She used a CASA credit card to buy things for herself and her family, including clothes, makeup, airline tickets, shoes and jewelry.
She was convicted of 17 felony counts of wire fraud and also of lying to an FBI agent – saying clothes she purchased for herself were for an insecure and overweight teen that CASA represented in court.
Assistant U.S. Attorney George Breitsameter said Richardson abused a position of trust and has never “accepted responsibility for what she did.” She had helped draft the nonprofit’s policy manual saying CASA was “committed to fiscal responsibility and prudent stewardship” of private donations and government grants.
Federal Defender Kathleen Moran said Richardson is “tremendously sorry for the impact she had on the organization.” She said Richardson is a “caring, compassionate woman” who gave her sister a kidney.
Richardson’s 28-year-old son has physical and cognitive disabilities, Moran said, and Richardson is the only person who can provide the round-the-clock care he needs.
“Sentencing this woman to jail would be a travesty because there would be such far-reaching circumstances to others in her life,” Moran said.
Winmill agreed, but said he would normally mete out harsher punishment in similar cases of white-collar crime.
“But for the needs of her child, I would have imposed some jail time,” the judge said.
Richardson declined comment following the sentencing. Her attorney said she may appeal the sentencing.
CASA Executive Director Hiedi Person issued a statement through the U.S. attorney’s office, saying the nonprofit “has processes in place to prevent it from being victimized again.”