Arizona woman found guilty of embezzling over $100,000 from charity group

PHOENIX — A jury recently found a Prescott woman guilty of stealing over $100,000 from a charity group, according to a Monday announcement from the Yavapai County Attorney’s Office.

The jurors found 38-year-old Sheena Holmes guilty of committing charity theft against a Prescott nonprofit that helps people experiencing homelessness, prosecutors said.

How long was Prescott woman committing charity theft?

Holmes stole over $111,000 from the charity’s thrift store, shelter fees and low-income housing income. Prosecutors said Holmes stole the money over the course of a year.

Prior to working as an accountant for the charity, she worked as an accounting clerk for a local business that sold construction supplies.

While working for the business, she stole over $30,000, according to Yavapai County Attorney Dennis McGrane.

“The fact that she stole from a local business that trusted her and that many members of our community rely on for construction materials, and then from a charity that provides services to the homeless and desperately poor, is reprehensible,” McGrane said in the announcement.

How did police catch Arizona woman who stole from local charities?

After Holmes left her job at the construction supplies business, a newly hired accountant uncovered her theft, prosecutors said.

That led to an investigation involving the Prescott Police Department, which led authorities to discover her charity theft.

Holmes is facing a minimum of three years in prison and a maximum of 10 years in prison.

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