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Western
Int.
High
Principal
and
Esperanza
Detroit
Chief
Operating
Officer
Arraigned
in
Embezzlement
Scheme
DETROIT,
MI -
Prosecutor
Kym L.
Worthy
has
charged
Esperanza
Detroit
Chief
Operating
Officer
Cecelia
Zavala*,
35, of
Wyandotte,
and
Western
High
School
principal
Rodolfo
Benavides-Diaz*,
35, of
Lincoln
Park,
with
embezzling
money
from
Esperanza
Detroit,
a
non-profit
agency
located
in the
2400
block of
Michigan
Avenue.
Esperanza
Detroit
was a
non-profit
organization
that
provided
services
and in
house
counselors
to at
risk
students
at
Western
International
High
School
and
other
Detroit
Public
Schools.
In April
of 2014,
the
Detroit
Public
School’s
Office
of the
Inspector
General
noticed
irregularities
with
some
checks
issued
by the
organization.
A member
of
Esperanza
Detroit
conducted
an
internal
audit
and took
the
results
to the
Detroit
Police
Department.
As a
result,
the
matter
was
turned
over to
the
Wayne
County
Prosecutor’s
Office.
It is
alleged
that
from
November
2011
until
May
2014,
Zavala
embezzled
over
$100,000
from the
Esperanza
Detroit
non-profit
for her
personal
use. She
is
alleged
to have
used the
organization’s
credit
and
debit
cards
without
authorization
to pay
for
restaurants,
personal
vacations
at
expensive
hotels,
jewelry
and a
car. It
is
further
alleged
that she
and Diaz
engaged
in a
conspiracy
to
embezzle
from
Esperanza.
From
October
of 2013
through
May of
2014,
Benavides-Diaz
is
alleged
to have
received
checks
totaling
$10,400
written
on the
Esperanza
account
and
misappropriated
the
money
for his
personal
use. The
checks
were for
consulting
services
that he
never
performed.
Benavides-Diaz
is
alleged
to have
conspired,
and,
aided
and
abetted
Zavala
in
embezzling
money
from
Esperanza.
Zavala
is
charged
with: 1.
Embezzlement
over
$100,000;
2.
Embezzlement
over
$1000 –
Non-profit;
3.
Embezzlement
over
$1000;
4.
Conspiracy
to
Embezzle;
5.
Embezzlement
over
$1000 -
Non-profit;
6.
Conspiracy
Embezzlement
–
Non-profit;
7. Using
a
computer
to
commit
Embezzlement
over
$100,000
and 8.
Using a
computer
to
commit
Embezzlement
from a
non-profit
over
$1,000.
Benavides-Diaz
is
charged
with: 1.
Embezzlement
over
$1000;
2.
Conspiracy
Embezzlement;
3.
Embezzlement
over
$1000 -
Non-profit
and 4.
Conspiracy
to
Embezzle
–
Non-profit.
Detroit
Public
Schools
Emergency
Manager
Darnell
Earley
said:
"Detroit
Public
Schools
has and
will
continue
to
cooperate
with the
Wayne
County
Prosecutor
and her
office
on this
matter."
“The
evidence
in this
case
will
show
that
these
defendants,
both in
positions
of trust
felt
that it
was
acceptable
behavior
to eat,
travel,
shop,
and
otherwise
live
large,
and
children
they
were
supposed
to serve
be
damned,”said
Prosecutor
Worthy.
Zavala
and
Benavides-Diaz
were
arraigned
on
Wednesday,
July 1,
2015 at
10:30 in
36th
District
Court.
The
Probable
Cause
Conferences
are
scheduled
for July
8, 2015
at 8:30
a.m.
before
Judge
Kenneth
King.
The
Preliminary
Examinations
are
scheduled
for July
15, 2015
at 9:00
a.m.,
before
Judge
King, as
well.
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