Las Vegas pair plead guilty in credit union embezzlement
A Las Vegas couple has pleaded guilty in Los Angeles to federal charges that stem from the wife's scheme to embezzle funds from Sharebuilders Federal Credit Union.
Mireya Gonzalez, 37, and her husband, Jorge Gonzalez, 35, each pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of subscribing to a false income tax return for the 2006 tax year. Mireya Gonzalez also pleaded guilty to embezzling funds from a federally insured credit union.
The pleas were announced Friday by the Los Angeles field office of Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation.
According to Mireya Gonzalez's plea agreement, she worked as the manager of Sharebuilders Federal Credit Union between January 2005 and March 2007. She had access to the credit union's computerized records and was able to authorize transfers between accounts.
After transferring funds to the Gonzalez family accounts, Mireya and Jorge Gonzalez withdrew money and used it to buy personal items such as jewelry and automobiles.
The embezzlement scheme substantially jeopardized the safety and soundness of the credit union, according to the IRS, and the National Credit Union Administration Board seized control of it in April 2007 because of insolvency.
Mireya Gonzalez admitted that she and her husband received unreported income in the amounts of $676,000 for 2005, $338,000 for 2006, and $150,000 for 2007. U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee is scheduled to sentence the defendants on Sept. 26.
Contact reporter Carri Geer Thevenot at cgeer@reviewjournal.com or 702-384-8710.
