Two South Bay Companies Embezzled Of Over $300K Each: DA

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CA — Two South Bay companies were embezzled of more than $300,000 each in separate cases by employees, according to Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen. One suspect remains at-large.

The companies involved were Thync Global, Inc. in Los Gatos and Urban Pacific Construction in San Jose.

Julie Amador, 46, was charged with three felony counts of theft by an employee after Thync Global’s owners found that a bank account that should have had over $300,000 in it only had $10,000, the district attorney’s office said. Amador, a San Jose resident, is accused of charging personal items to the company’s credit card and then concealing the actions to the owners with fake balance sheets between 2018 and 2020, according to the district attorney.

Dublin resident Shannon Marie Cardenas, 44, also was accused of using company dollars for personal items. According to the district attorney’s office, Cardenas used false personal information to get hired for a job as a controller at Urban Pacific Construction before proceeding to withdraw fraudulently-created checks that she sent to her bank account.

Cardenas, who has not yet been arrested, was charged with 15 felony counts that include theft by employee, check fraud and identity theft. According to the district attorney, Cardenas embezzled over $490,000 over an 18-month period.

“Please develop robust checks and balances for your business,” Rosen said in a news release. “Trust but verify. Your livelihood depends on it.”

Amador faces possible incarceration and could be required to pay restitution to the company, while Cardenas faces a possible prison term, the district attorney said.