Courthouse Not Immune

In what appears to be a proverbial "can of worms" here is a case from very close to where I reside in Southern California. It is another case of what compulsive gambling can do to a person and it looks like even the courthouse is not immune to this insidious addiction. Here is the story in its entirety;

Court Embezzlement Trial

A Superior Court supervisor accused of stealing files and at least $61,000 from the El Cajon courthouse to feed his gambling habit pleaded not guilty Friday to burglary, grand theft and embezzlement.

David Anthony Macias, a clerk with 27 years experience in the court system, faces six to eight years in prison if convicted of the current charges, said Deputy District Attorney Mike Still.

Orange County Superior Court Judge Pamela Iles, who is handling the case because San Diego Presiding Judge Janis Sammartino recused the entire San Diego bench, set Macias' bail at $500,000.

Still told the judge that a court security camera caught Macias going in and out of the court's vault with a black backpack-type bag on Saturday, Jan. 21, and Sunday, Jan. 22. Macias, 46, told investigators he took money from the courthouse and gambled it away at the Barona Casino, Still said.

"He was known to be a big-time player there," the prosecutor said. Macias was a supervisor in the accounting department and was also in charge of the evidence locker, Still said.

He potentially faces many more charges because investigators found hundreds of court files during a search of the defendant's bedroom, Still said. In a three-hour taped interview after his arrest, Macias told investigators he had been stealing court files and money, checks and credit card receipts for the past 10 to 15 years, Still said.

During the search of Macias' home, court files from last year dating back to the mid-1980s were found, Still said. Some of the missing court files were supposed to have cash attached to them that Macias allegedly took.

He is also accused of pocketing money from people who came to the courthouse to pay fees and fines, the prosecutor said. Still said investigators have no idea how much money may have been stolen over the years, and that hundreds of thousands of dollars could be missing.

Macias told investigators he spent the third weekend in January playing poker and blackjack at Barona Casino, losing $8,000, the prosecutor said.

Macias lived with his mother in Lemon Grove, and his mother reported him missing when he didn't show up for work the next day, Still said. He was arrested Tuesday when he flagged down San Francisco police officers and told them he was out of money, had no gas for his car and figured a warrant was out for his arrest in San Diego, Still said.

Macias is charged with four felony counts, including burglary, grand theft, stealing public funds and theft of government court files. Macias told investigators he had gambled away $1,000 to $1,500 every other day for the month leading up to the alleged January theft at the El Cajon courthouse, Still said.

Investigators who searched Macias' bedroom found it a "mess," with divorce files, child support files and other types of court files strewn about the room, Still said.

If someone returned to court looking for a file, Macias would create a duplicate file, the prosecutor said. The prosecutor said there is no statute of limitations on the type of charges Macias is facing.

A bail review was scheduled for Thursday and a preliminary hearing for March 17.