The woman accused of stealing 40 million dollars from Santa Cruz County will have to live on two thousand dollars a month.
Thats the judges ruling in a civil court case that aims to recover missing millions from former Santa Cruz County Treasurer Elizabeth Gutfahr.
The former Treasurer of Santa Cruz County is accused of stealing roughly 40 million dollars from the county treasury over a period of ten years or so. Its still a civil suit though criminal charges are expected but right now they are figuring out how to freeze her allegedly ill-gotten assets and also give her enough to still live.
Santa Cruz County claims Elizabeth Gutfahr holds a long list of accounts and real estate that came from roughly forty million in stolen county money.
Those attorneys and Gutfahrs lawyer agree, pending more hearings, to keep those assets under control of a court appointed receiver. Everything is frozen unless the receiver approves a change. Its a move to keep Gutfahr from hiding or selling assets Santa Cruz Countys lawyers say were probably paid for with stolen public money.
But that left Gutfahrs lawyer saying everything is so thoroughly frozen the Gutfahrs have trouble paying for the basics of life.
Gutfahrs attorney John Saffer says, Forget the cost of engaging counsel, right now she cant walk across the street and purchase lunch.
Santa Cruz Countys lawyers say with millions of dollars disappearing over ten years any account could hold stolen funds and as for Gutfahrs lack of cash for basic living expenses, attorney Ben Reeves says:
Her fraud deprived the county of the ability to provide basic public infrastructure. So to say I need basic living expenses, that’s the pot calling the kettle black.
Judge Wayne Yehling convinced attorneys from both sides to agree to the Gutfahrs taking two thousand dollars a month from an account that belongs to Gutfahrs husband.
There are no criminal charges in the case but the lawyers in these hearings talk as if they assume Gutfahr will face criminal charges. The FBI is investigating and has already seized several cars Gutfahr owned.