Court clerk who mishandled documents has case reduced to misdemeanor

A former Riverside County Superior Court clerk who admitted mishandling privileged information connected to a criminal case had the charge reduced from a felony to a misdemeanor today.

Thousand Palms residents Michelle Valdez, 59, and Angela Franz, 48, both pleaded guilty to a felony conspiracy-related count in a plea agreement with the Riverside County District Attorney's Office in October, "with the understanding that, upon completion of certain conditions, the offense will be reduced to a misdemeanor at sentencing,'' according to case records and a formal objection filed by the District Attorney's Office on Wednesday.   

The exact conditions they needed to meet were not immediately available.   

In court Monday, Franz's charge was officially reduced to a misdemeanor and she was not required to serve any time in custody, according to Thalia Hayden of the District Attorney's Office.

Valdez is slated for sentencing on Jan. 22.   

According to the District Attorney's Office, the two were assigned to the Larson Justice Center in Indio when the offense occurred in January 2020.   

Prosecutors said a law enforcement officer submitted a search warrant request and asked that the documents remain under seal due to confidentiality concerns and to prevent the investigation from being compromised.   

A judge signed the warrant the same day and ordered it sealed, according to the D.A.'s office.

"Franz pulled the warrant from the court system, printed it, and then provided it to Valdez,'' according to an agency statement released after the indictment was unsealed. "Both defendants had been court clerks for several years and would know that reviewing, printing and sharing a sealed court document in this manner would be against the law."  

A possible motive was not disclosed.  

The case was taken before the 19-member county grand jury, resulting in an April 2022 indictment against both women, neither of whom had prior misdemeanor or felony convictions.

They are no longer employed by the Superior Court.