Former Rancho Mirage city employee investigated for alleged embezzlement

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the City of Rancho Mirage’s former code compliance manager Sandra Johnson.

Johnson resigned in May after working with the city for nearly 11 years.

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While working for the city, officials said part of Johnson’s duties included contracting companies for work, such as landscaping and property maintenance.

Now, deputies are investigating possible financial discrepancies related to Johnson while she was employed by the city.

News Channel 3’s I-Team obtained the last 20 checks Johnson approved.

More than half of them, worth in total more than $13,000, were to Brandi Perry of Perry Property Preservation and Perry Property Maintenance located in Desert Hot Springs.

After looking through those invoices, the I-Team found that two had questionable findings.

One property being a home on Mirage Road, where in March, Perry billed the city for $1,500 of work. This included draining an abandoned pool and jacuzzi.

However, according to a recent listing by Coldwell Banker, the property has no pool.

Another property, an apartment community located on East Veldt billed by Perry in April for work, also included draining a pool.

However, after walking around the property, no pool could be found at this property either.

KESQ reached out to Perry, visiting both locations listed on invoices for her business in Desert Hot Springs, and reached out to her, Johnson, and family members over the phone, but did not get back to us.

The sheriff’s department and city leaders would not confirm a connection between Perry and Johnson but did assure there is still an ongoing investigation.

Stay tuned to KESQ News Channel 3 for the latest updates regarding this investigation