Chuck Vasquez appears in court
Cathedral City’s mayor pro tem appeared in court today onembezzlement charges for allegedly using funds from the city’s employeecomputer loan program for personal purchases, but delayed entering a plea untilhe secures legal representation.
Charles Frederick Vasquez, 58, is charged with three felony counts ofembezzlement by a public officer. He appeared at the Larson Justice Center inIndio before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Victoria E. Cameron, whoagreed to reschedule arraignment to June 25.
Vasquez was arrested April 8 at his Cathedral City home and booked atthe county jail in Indio, then posted a $50,000 bond. If convicted, he faces upto six years behind bars.
Riverside County District Attorney’s Office spokesman John Hall said thecharges involve alleged misuse of city funds through a Cathedral City programthat loans money to city employees and council members so they can buy desktopcomputers, laptops or tablets.
The program provides a loan at 6 percent interest and allows employeesto make payroll deductions to repay the loan. They receive an invoice or pricequote from a vendor and are then given a city check to use for the purchase,Hall said.
Investigators determined that from August 2011 through December 2012,Vasquez allegedly “did not properly use the program and insteadmisappropriated city funds for personal purchases,” Hall said.
He would allegedly use part of the funds for computer purchases and partfor unauthorized personal items. In December 2012, he was given a city creditcard so he could buy a laptop and a tablet, but he allegedly used it to buymore than $2,000 in prepaid MasterCard gift cards, according to Hall.
“On previous occasions, Vasquez submitted fraudulent invoices under theloan program and then used the loan proceeds to purchase unapproved personalitems in addition to some computer equipment,” Hall alleged.
A declaration filed in support of an arrest warrant alleges that Vasquezon two occasions returned a computer or equipment and bought lower pricedpersonal items, keeping the change.
He allegedly told district attorney’s Investigator Matthew Weinstein,who wrote the declaration, that he didn’t use the funds to buy a computer,”acknowledged his previous returns and exchanges, and admitted he did notreturn remaining funds to the city.”
Cathedral City Mayor Kathy DeRosa said Vasquez was elected in 2005. Sheand City Manager Andy Hall have referred questions to the district attorney’soffice.
