Thursday, June 20, 2013

Social services worker in Texas stole from clients


GALVESTON, Texas (AP) — A social services worker in Southeast Texas serving as a guardian to help people manage their money has pleaded guilty to felony theft.

The Galveston County Daily News ( ) reported Wednesday that 47-year-old Sylvia Ann Villarreal of Hitchcock faces up to 20 years in prison. The penalty phase begins in August for Villarreal, who pleaded guilty Monday.

Records show Villarreal worked for Galveston County's guardianship program for nearly 15 years before she was fired in March 2010. She was later indicted on a charge of theft by public servant involving between $20,000 and $100,000 of funds since 2007.

The investigation began when a judge who appointed Villarreal to assist wards of the county noticed irregularities with their checking accounts.

Full Article and Source:
Social services worker in Texas stole from clients

4 comments:

  1. How many years did it take before she was caught? And why can't it be prevented?

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  2. I don't trust social workers at all. I know there are good ones, but some many have an inflated sense of importance!

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  3. You can be sure if there was one there is 25 more! Hope they keep checking!

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  4. I think the article said a judge became suspicious and that's what started the investigation. But, one has to wonder how many judges were on that case who just rubberstamped everything....

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