• Home
  • About us
  • Advertising
  • Digital Archive
  • Contact
    • Letter to the Editor
Monday, February 6, 2023
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
lgbtq-san-diego-county-news-logo-475x166
  • A&E
    • Art
    • Film
    • Music
    • Books
    • Theater
    • Q Syndicate
  • News & Features
    • News
      • Court News
      • News Briefs
    • Politics
      • Elected Official Reports
        • Mara W. Elliot
        • Summer Stephan
        • Susan Davis
        • Toni G. Atkins
    • Features
  • Food & Drink
    • Hot Dish
    • Restaurant Reviews
  • Opinion
    • Editorials
  • Lifestyle
    • Health & Fitness
    • Travel
    • The Frivolist
  • Columns
    • Conversations with Nicole
    • Big Mike and Friends
    • Life Beyond Therapy
    • Houston We Have a Problem
    • Queer Parenting
    • Notes from Toni
    • Trans Talk with Connor
    • Pozitively Michael
    • Powerful Black Women
    • Lambda Archives
  • Business
    • Best of Gay San Diego
    • Business Profile
    • Wedding Directory
    • Expert Advice
    • Sponsored Links
  • Out & About
  • Calendar
lgbtq-san-diego-county-news-logo
  • A&E
    • Art
    • Film
    • Music
    • Books
    • Theater
    • Q Syndicate
  • News & Features
    • News
      • Court News
      • News Briefs
    • Politics
      • Elected Official Reports
        • Mara W. Elliot
        • Summer Stephan
        • Susan Davis
        • Toni G. Atkins
    • Features
  • Food & Drink
    • Hot Dish
    • Restaurant Reviews
  • Opinion
    • Editorials
  • Lifestyle
    • Health & Fitness
    • Travel
    • The Frivolist
  • Columns
    • Conversations with Nicole
    • Big Mike and Friends
    • Life Beyond Therapy
    • Houston We Have a Problem
    • Queer Parenting
    • Notes from Toni
    • Trans Talk with Connor
    • Pozitively Michael
    • Powerful Black Women
    • Lambda Archives
  • Business
    • Best of Gay San Diego
    • Business Profile
    • Wedding Directory
    • Expert Advice
    • Sponsored Links
  • Out & About
  • Calendar
No Result
View All Result
lgbtq-san-diego-county-news
No Result
View All Result

Man Gets 2-Year Prison Sentence After Embezzling from La Jolla Music Society

By Neal Putnam

09/01/2022
in Court News, Feature, Featured, Features, News
0
Cold Case murder suspect posts $500,000 Bond

Christopher Michael Benavides (courtesy image)

0
SHARES
31
VIEWS

A gay man who embezzled $650,000 from the La Jolla Music Society when he worked as their finance director will surrender Sept. 19 to start his 2 1/2-year federal prison term.

Christopher Michael Benavides, 52, of Mission Valley, was sentenced Aug. 4, but was allowed to remain free on $20,000 bond by U.S. District Court Judge Cathy Bencivengo.

Bencivengo exceeded the recommended 2-year term recommended by the prosecutor, saying this embezzlement is “way more egregious when a non-profit (organization) is involved.” She imposed 30 months.

Benavides was earning $120,000 annually in salary when he was embezzling from the organization, according to a 4-page letter submitted by Todd Schultz, the president and CEO of the La Jolla Music Society.

Bencivengo ordered Benavides to pay restitution of $650,000 to the music society. Assistant U.S. Attorney W. Mark Conover said he doubted Benavides was remorseful because he has not paid anything towards restitution.

The CEO’s letter stated that Benavides oversaw the budgeting process and “he regularly claimed that many staff salary increases were not possible due to budgetary constraints.” He added, “During this same time period, Benavides was stealing for himself an average of about $65,000 per year.”

Schultz’ letter said they discovered Benavides paid his personal mortgage payments using the music society funds, and Benavides initially said it was done by accident. But they later learned it was a massive theft in which funds were used to pay for his credit cards and other personal expenses. 

They fired him in March 2021 after 15 years as their finance director. Executives said they suspect the theft may be larger, but their records don’t go back past 2011.

Also speaking in court was Board Chairman Steve Baum, who also investigated the thefts. In the report, Baum asked Benavides if there was a reason for the thefts, such as a health crisis or gambling problem. “I had no reason to do this,” Benavides replied, according to the report.

In court, Benavides told Bencivengo he regretted his actions and lost the trust of friends. He said he was sorry for the harm he caused.

“Mr. Benavides exploited his position of trust with the La Jolla Music Society by stealing month after month for over a decade,” said U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman.

“His greed and deception have had a lasting impact on this non-profit,” added Grossman.

“La Jolla Music Society trusted their director of finance to safeguard the non-profit’s funds, but Benavides had a different plan,” said Stacey Moy, special agent in charge of the FBI’s field office.

“Instead, the defendant strategically calculated year over year to systematically steal from his employer, selfishly lining his own pockets,” said Moy.

The La Jolla Music Society provides arts and education programming for thousands of San Diegans each year including a year-round music-training program in Barrio Logan for middle and high school students.

They provide learning opportunities for young musicians, seminars, lectures, and student performances. It relies heavily on donors, foundations and government funding to cover its expenses.

Next Post
Cold Case murder suspect posts $500,000 Bond

Gay Driver on Meth Crashes into La Mesa Office Building Killing Another Gay Man 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Read our digital edition

Volume 4, Issue 9, February 2023

SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER

AIDS Memorial Groundbreaking to be Held February 1 AIDS Memorial Groundbreaking to be Held February 10th!. For over 35 years, there has been a campaign for San Diego to join cities across North America to establish an AIDS Memorial honoring and remembering the over 8,500 men, women, and children who have died of AIDS. Read full story on the link below.

http://ow.ly/16rR50ML1EG
The Devil is alive in the United States, and it li The Devil is alive in the United States, and it lives in right wing, Republican driven state legislators. According to an article written by Matt Loffman for PBS, the Human Rights Campaign has identified 30 state legislators who proposed more than 115 bills targeting Transgender, Gender Non-Conforming, and Non-Binary rights in their states. Everything from participation in sports to accessing medical care has been attacked. According to a poll conducted by PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist fewer than 3 in 10 people support any anti-Trans legislation, yet the Republic legislators continue to introduce and vote for all of them. It is hard to understand why these Republicans are voted into office over and over when they obviously do not reflect the wishes of their constituents. click link to read more

http://ow.ly/smtK50MIEEA
What started as a personal social media project vi What started as a personal social media project via Instagram during the pandemic, Hillcrest San Diego has become a 10K subscriber resource for news, history, memes, and all things Hillcrest. We caught up with Rick Cervantes the force behind the account to get to know more about the motivation behind it, the plans for the Instagram account and the upcoming inaugural #hillcrestsandiego Honors with its reception schedule for Monday February 6 at Uptown tavern to honor local community members and organizations.
Read the full Interview on the link below
http://ow.ly/OJ9k50MIEBZ
Our community has been built on the need for resou Our community has been built on the need for resources and support, and sectors in our community have also been called to create organizations that enrich and serve their own specific needs. One such organization is the San Diego LGBTQ Coalition.  Read full article on the link below
https://lgbtqsd.news/san-diego-black-lgbtq-coalition-a-stronger-front-for-the-betterment-of-the-community/
Read all our February Issue Articles on our websit Read all our February Issue Articles on our website!
https://lgbtqsd.news

our on our Digital edition courtesy of issuu!
https://issuu.com/sdcnn0/docs/lgbtq_news_february_2023
They are fresh off the press! They are fresh off the press!
The February Issue is OUT Today! Pick up a copy a The February Issue is OUT Today! 
Pick up a copy around town!
We are Welcoming February with a NEW Issue! We are Welcoming February with a NEW Issue!
Black History Includes Black LGBTQ History! Black History Includes Black LGBTQ History!
Load More... Follow on Instagram
lgbtq_san_diego_county_news

© 2019 LGBTQ San Diego County News. All rights reserved.

Navigate our site

  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • A&E
    • Art
    • Books
    • Film
    • Music
    • Q Syndicate
  • News & Features
    • News
    • Features
    • Politics
      • Elected Official Reports
      • Susan Davis
  • Food & Drink
    • Hot Dish
    • Restaurant Reviews
  • Opinion
    • Editorials
  • Lifestyle
    • Health & Fitness
    • The Frivolist
  • Business
  • Columns
    • Conversations with Nicole
    • Big Mike and Friends
    • Black Lives
    • C…Community
    • Frankly Speaking
    • Houston We Have a Problem
    • Life Beyond Therapy
    • My Good Tootie
  • Out & About
  • Contact
  • Archive
  • About
  • Advertising
  • Calendar

© 2019 LGBTQ San Diego County News. All rights reserved.

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In