TUCSON, Ariz. (TND) — An Arizona county is suing its former treasurer, accusing him of embezzling more than $39 million, the county announced Friday.

Santa Cruz County on Thursday sued Elizabeth Gutfer, accusing her of theft in the amount of $39,412,000. press releaseThe county said its goal is to recover as many funds as possible.

“While this is a significant amount of money for our community, we are committed to ensuring that the day-to-day operations of organizations that rely on county funding are not impacted and will continue to provide honest updates as the situation evolves,” the release stated.

Gutphard resigned in April after the county discovered 11 “improper” transactions totaling $375,000, according to the release. said In June, it immediately secured all official accounts controlled by Gutfahr and reported them to the “appropriate authorities.”

The investigation by the FBI, Department of Justice and local authorities remains ongoing, according to the county.

“The County continues to conduct a comprehensive internal investigation with the assistance of experienced outside legal and forensic accounting professionals, including a full forensic financial review of accounts maintained by the County Treasurer,” Santa Cruz noted.

According to a June press release, county supervisors met with private companies to review treasurer policies and increase accountability for the office. After the meetings, Santa Cruz County announced it had made changes to protect funds.

“The Board of Supervisors is committed to protecting the county's financial future and uncovering any potential wrongdoing and will take action accordingly,” the June release said.

“It's a big deal,” said Santa Cruz resident Innis Villa. News 4 Tucson This is a sad situation for the community.

“She knew the money was meant to help us residents, so the way she's done it seems unfair and sad,” she said.

Another member of the community, Roberto Esparza, told the outlet that Gutfall should go to prison.

“We are paying her a salary and she has abused the trust that people around here have in politicians,” he alleged. “I think politicians get too many days off.”

If you have any questions, concerns or tips, please send them to Ray at rjlewis@sbgtv.com.