- The verdict of former Santa Cruz County treasurer, Elizabeth Gutfer, was delayed until May 7th.
- Gutfahr pleaded guilty in November to embezzlement of $38.7 million from the county between 2014 and 2024.
- Gutfer faces the largest sentence in 35 years in prison and will have to pay compensation to the county.
- The recovery of stolen funds is ongoing, with $2.8 million in assets already seized and sold.
The former Santa Cruz County treasurer’s sentence, who pleaded guilty to embezzlement of nearly $40 million from public funds, was delayed until May.
Elizabeth Guffer, a former treasurer, 63, was due to be sentenced in Tucson on Thursday, but the judge ordered the ruling to continue until May 7, at the request of the U.S. Probation Service.
Gutfahr pleaded guilty in November to embezzlement of $38.7 million between 2014 and 2024, and to tax evasion for laundering money and failing to pay more than $13 million in income tax.
Federal prosecutors say Gutfer stole from Santa Cruz County, transferred money to a bank account of a fake company to avoid paying income taxes, and concealed his source of income when he ordered wire transfers from the county account. Ta. They also say that Gutfar will fraudulently wire 187 remittances over a decade to buy multiple properties and remodel her Rancho San Caetano home.
Politics in Arizona:Maria Elena Cruz is sworn in and becomes the latest Arizona Supreme Court Judge
Guffer faces the biggest penalty in a 10-year prison for embezzlement numbers, 20-year prison for money laundering count, 5-year prison for tax evasion count, and Santa Cruz County or other sacrifices They face compensation for those.
Her assets are currently held in the receiving ship. The court-appointed recipient is the MCA Financial Group, working to sell the assets of the Gutfahr family to recover the lack of funds. in December Receiver Reportsince August, $2.8 million has been recovered from sales of Gutfahr’s property, livestock, vehicles and other assets.
Reach the reporter with sarah.lapidus@gannett.com. Reports from the Republic of Southern Arizona are funded in part with grants from the US report. Support Arizona news coverage with tax-deductible donations supportjournalism.azcentral.com.
