Former DA County Employee pleads guilty to embezzlement charge, avoids prison time
Former Dona Ana County Health and Human Services employee Sylvia Dorado pleaded guilty Friday to a second degree felony of Embezzlement over $20,000.
Dorado received a suspended prison sentence, but must serve five years of supervised probation and pay $83,000 in restitution. $44,000 is attributed to missing funds and $38,000 is the cost attributed to the forensic audit.
Dorado embezzled the money during her time as a compliance monitor with the DAC Health and Human Services’ Misdemeanor Compliance Program. She allegedly stole the money from clients who were enrolled in the program for DWI and domestic violence offenses.
In between 2009 and 2011, Dorado would cash unsigned $35 money orders from people enrolled in the programs. The money was meant to offset the cost of probation supervision and breath tests, but Dorado would cash the checks or money orders and deposit the funds into her own account.
Under the restitution plan, Dorado must pay back $10,000 in seven days. She will have five years to repay the full amount in monthly installments of $1,200.
Dorado, who is now working two jobs to pay back the money, apologized to the court, her former employer, friends and family. The single mother of two children was facing nine years in prison. She is now living with her parents.
