Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009

Jones gets 8 years in prison

Judge orders $1.75 million in restitution

Former city employee Mary Ann Jones was sentenced to eight years in prison after she changed her not guilty plea in her embezzlement case Tuesday afternoon.

Jones pleaded no contest to six felonies, five counts of embezzlement and one count of receiving stolen property.

Superior court Judge Frank Dougherty also ordered Jones to pay the city of Los Baños $1.75 million in restitution.

Jones, who is a former utility billing technician, was arrested Aug. 27 after being accused of stealing more than $1.7 million in cash from city coffers. The crime took place from 2005 to March of this year.

In a telephone interview Tuesday night, Mayor Tommy Jones expressed disappointment at the plea bargain.

“That’s not enough,” Jones said of the restitution amount. “The key is how long is it going to take to get that money. She doesn’t have anything.”

Personal banking records obtained during the investigation of the case indicate Jones used the stolen city money for various purchases, including real estate, vehicles, home furnishings, electronics, and home remodeling projects.

In court Mary Ann Jones’ attorney, C. Logan McKechnie, said on Friday the city can have the keys to his client’s Dos Palos home and access to the furnishings inside. The city is already in possession of her home in Merced.

Mary Ann Jones will also be forced to relinquish vehicles she purchased with the money.

She is being allowed to keep a 1986 Chevrolet Silverado and a 1999 Mazda pickup.

Deputy District Attorney Hal Nutt said he is satisfied with the outcome of the case.

“This was a case that was extremely well investigated by the Los Baños Police Department. They left no stone unturned and it made for a quick and relatively painless disposition,” Nutt said.

The nearly two months Mary Ann Jones has spent in incarceration will be credited toward her sentence.

Enterprise reporter Corey Pride can be reached by phone at 388-6563 or by e-mail at cpride@losbanosenterprise.com