Prelim set for woman accused of stealing from Girl Scouts
A preliminary hearing was set Wednesday for a Saugus woman arrested on suspicion of grand theft and accused of stealing more than $88,000 from nonprofit groups, including the local Girl Scouts.
Patricia Cascione, 52, appeared in Los Angeles Superior Court Wednesday.
She was arrested in September 2018 by detectives with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Fraud and Cyber Crimes Bureau, on suspicion of grand theft and theft by false pretense of over $88,000 in
funds allegedly stolen from nonprofit organizations.
A preliminary hearing was set to begin Aug. 23, Ricardo Santiago, spokesman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office said Wednesday.
After she was arrested, detectives served a search warrant at the Cascione home where they recovered additional evidence, LASD Deputy Marvin Crowder wrote in a news release issued in September.
Over the past 20 years, Cascione was entrusted as the treasurer for multiple Girl Scouts of the USA Troops in addition to a local Girl Scouts service unit in Santa Clarita, Crowder wrote at the time.
Fraud and Cyber Crimes Bureau detectives became aware of potential fraudulent activity and initiated a criminal investigation.
It is alleged that during the past five years, Cascione embezzled over $58,000 from several Girl Scout troops and service unit bank accounts over which she had control.
After their investigation, detectives also suspected Cascione, while chief financial officer of the Beverly Hills Cancer Center, was alleged to have committed theft by false pretense of over $30,000.