Tucson, Arizona – Lawsuit Against Former Treasurer

Arizona County revealed on Friday that it is taking legal action against a former treasurer accused of embezzling over $39 million.

Santa Cruz County filed a lawsuit against Elizabeth Guffer for allegedly stealing $39,412,000. The purpose of this legal move, made known in a press release on Thursday, is to recoup as much of the lost money as possible.

County officials stated, “This is a significant sum for our community, but we are doing everything in our power to mitigate the impact on daily operations of entities that depend on county funding.”

Guffer resigned in April after the county identified 11 unusual transactions totaling $375,000. In June, officials indicated they swiftly secured all accounts managed by Guffer before notifying the relevant authorities.

Currently, investigations by the FBI, the Department of Justice, and local governments are ongoing.

“The county is conducting a thorough internal review with the assistance of legal and forensic accounting experts, including a complete forensic financial investigation of accounts overseen by the county treasurer,” noted Santa Cruz.

According to a June press release, county supervisors have consulted with private firms to assess financial policies and enhance accountability within the office. Following these discussions, Santa Cruz asserted that measures were undertaken to safeguard the funds.

“The Board of Supervisors is working to protect the county’s financial future, uncover potential fraud, and respond appropriately,” the June release stated.

Innis Villa, a Santa Cruz resident, expressed her dismay about the situation, stating it’s unfortunate for the community. “She knew that this money was intended to benefit us, the residents, so it feels really unfair and sad on her part,” she remarked.

Another resident, Roberto Esparza, felt that Guffer deserves prison time. “We paid her salary and she betrayed the trust that people place in politicians around here,” he commented. “Politicians, I think, they often take too many liberties.”