Former Manteca controller charged with embezzling $950,000 | Crime

SACRAMENTO, CA - A Manteca man has been indicted on 20 counts of embezzling more than $950,000 from his employer.

Chris Barna, 33, was arrested Wednesday for allegedly stealing from M & C Association Management Services Inc. which performs association management and developer services in Northern California. Barna was the controller for M & C.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of California in Sacramento, Barna is accused of misappropriating 342 checks made out to M & C or its parent company between April 2008 and May 2011. The prosecution says Barna forged false endorsements of the payee and signed "deposit only" on the checks before putting them into accounts under his name at Wells Fargo Bank. Documents show he used the ill-gotten funds for his own expenses and adjusted M & C financial records to hide the fraud.

Barna posted $200,000 bond and was released from custody Wednesday. His next court hearing was set for Jan. 14 in Sacramento federal court.

The U.S. Attorney's Office says if convicted of the charges, Barna faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine for each count.