California CFO Pleads Guilty to Embezzling $1.3 Million From Employers Via Fraudulent Nonprofit Account
Tony Archuleta-Perkins has pleaded guilty to bank fraud and money laundering in an embezzlement scheme that cost his employers $1.3 million.
Archuleta-Perkins worked for two law firms in San Francisco, holding roles as high as the Chief Financial Officer, according to the DOJ. As CFO, Archuleta-Perkins was in a position of trust, allowing him to access the payroll systems and payment automation platforms of his two employers.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 26, according to court documents.
Five Bank Accounts
Archuleta-Perkins maintained at least five bank accounts, some of which he held jointly, prosecutors say. On Aug. 28, 2013, he opened another bank account for the non-profit Murietta Valley Class of 1994 (MVHS 1994), for which he was the President and chief executive Officer at different times, according to the indictment.
The California State Secretary granted MVHS 1994 a tax exemption on June 3, 2014, but they suspended that exemption on July 25, 2018. California’s Franchise Tax Board also suspended the exemption in 2019, but Archuleta-Perkins never closed the nonprofit’s bank account.
Instead, Archuleta-Perkins continued to use the account. At one point, he endorsed and deposited $12,247 from State and Federal income tax refund checks belonging to someone identified in court documents by the initials “S.A.” into the MVSH 1994 bank account on July 6, 2017, according to the indictment. On July 15, 2017, he allegedly wrote a check from the MVSH 1994 bank account to his personal bank account for $10,000.
Law Firm Employee Since 2017
Archuleta-Perkins began working with two closely connected law firms based in San Francisco in July 2017, according to the indictment.
Within the year, he became CFO of both firms, and starting in May 2018, Archuleta-Perkins deposited a tax refund check meant for one of those firms into his MVSH 1994 bank account, the indictment details. A few days later, he wrote a check from the MVSH 1994 account and deposited it into his personal bank account.
As CFO, Archuleta-Perkins made regular payments to himself from the law firm’s account to his MVSH 1994 account, according to the indictment. Archuleta-Perkins falsified invoices and financial entries for expenses like expert witnesses to explain the payments.
Archuleta-Perkins signed checks from one of the law offices to the MVSH 1994 account, but he also used the end-to-end payments automation platform to pay himself on at least five occasions starting in October 2020, according to the indictment. In December 2020, the compliance department asked for additional information about the payments going into MVHS 1994 by the payment automation platform, and Archuleta-Perkins said it was for consulting projects.
Until December 2023, Archuleta-Perkins issued payments from the two law firms he worked for to the MVSH 1994 account he had and used the money for personal expenses like purchasing property, maintaining a mortgage and paying credit cards, according to the indictment. Archuleta-Perkins stole over $1.2 million with this scheme, say prosecutors.
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