SAN JOSE -- A city claims its former accountant took money from the city fund for her own personal gain and expenses.
The City of Cupertino filed a complaint on April 13 in the Superior Court of California County of Santa Clara against Jennifer Chang and Does 1-20 for fraud, breach of contract and conversion.
The City of Cupertino alleges that Jennifer Chang used approximately $800,000 of the city's funds for her own personal use during the 17 years Chang worked as a senior accountant in the city's Finance Department. Missing funds were discovered in April 2018 when city accountant Richard Wong conducted a detailed review of the city's liability account in preparation of the city's 2017-2018 financial audit.
The City of Cupertino seeks judgment of $791,494 it says Chang stole, plus $55,000 for the cost of having to hire a private forensic service and $26,818.84 for the time spend by city staff to investigate the incidents. The City of Cupertino is represented by Sarah M. Lucey of Shute, Mihaly and Weinberger LLP.