Ex-Pasadena chamber exec accused of theft

The former Pasadena Chamber of Commerce finance director has been accused of stealing more than $1.5 million from her employer and coworkers’ retirement accounts to pay for extravagant purchases such as expensive massages, plastic surgery and trips to Budapest and Orlando, Fla.

Jamie Huffar, 46, has been charged with two counts of forgery of a financial instrument greater than or equal to $300,000, making a false statement to obtain credit between $30,000 and $150,000, misappropriating financial property greater than or equal to $300,000 and fraudulent use of identification information, according to court records.

The attorney representing Huffar did not immediately respond to a request for comment as of Wednesday morning.

Investigators laid out the allegations of a series of schemes that began shortly after Huffar was hired as a financial administrator in June 2017 and continued until she allegedly broke down crying and left the chamber in November 2022, court records show.

Huffar is accused of opening unauthorized credit cards in the chamber’s name, transferring money directly from the chamber to her PayPal account, redirecting money from events to her personal accounts, fraudulently increasing a Small Business Administration loan for her own use and diverting other employees’ retirement contributions, among other allegations.

“This investigation is ongoing, but to this point affiant has reviewed credible evidence of over $1.2 million in theft and fraud by Huffar and affiant has reason to believe that the total will exceed $1.5 million once this investigation is complete,” investigators with the Pasadena Police Department allege in court filings.

Officials with the chamber first contacted police in November 2022 after becoming suspicious because Huffar kept giving excuses for why she hadn’t handed over financial documents to the group’s auditor, according to a probable cause affidavit. A chamber employee that month demanded Huffar provide the documents. After a series of delays, and she allegedly broke down and said she’d been stealing from the organization.

Huffar then allegedly printed out credit card records showing more than $300,000 in unauthorized purchases, using another employee’s name without her knowledge, according to the affidavit.

Detectives began reviewing financial information after the report and determined the theft and fraud was much larger than the $300,000 Huffar initially reported, according to court filings. The investigation into the scheme included more than 30 grand jury subpoenas, forensic examinations of an iPhone, an iPad, a computer and reviewing thousands of pages of financial information.

The former chamber employee is also facing a civil lawsuit in connection to her tenure with the chamber of commerce. That case remains ongoing as of Wednesday.