April 7, 2004

Contact:

Lynn Kimbrough, 720-913-9025

COUPLE CHARGED WITH EMBEZZLING PUBLIC PROPERTY

Denver District Attorney Bill Ritter, Jr. has formally charged a woman and her husband who are accused of keeping $66,000 that she was overpaid on a paycheck. 

Helena De Herrera (DOB: 01-03-64) and David De Herrera (DOB: 04-17-73) are each charged with theft (F3), embezzlement of public property (F5), conspiracy to commit theft (F4) and conspiracy to commit embezzlement of public property (F6).

The charges allege that Helena De Herrera, a former Denver Sheriff’s deputy, received a gross payment of $66,378 instead of $663.78 from the department in December 2000.  The charges allege that Helena and her husband David, who also works for the Denver Sheriff’s Department, kept the overpayment and spent it between December 2000 and August 2001.  The Denver DA’s Economic Crime Unit received information about the overpayment in February 2004, prompting an investigation that resulted in their arrest today.

The De Herrera’s were booked at Denver Police Headquarters this afternoon and were each released on a $5000 personal recognizance bond.  Their next court date has not been set yet.