Prison sentence for former SPG Solar manager

Woman pleads guilty to embezzling funds from Petaluma company|

A Vallejo woman is facing 14 months in prison after pleaded guilty last week to embezzling more than $100,000 from a Petaluma company between 2011 and May of this year, Sonoma County District Attorney Jill Ravitch’s office announced on Monday.

Eileen Madayag, 43 made the plea in Sonoma County Superior Court on December 10, admitting to the felony embezzlement and two enhancements, including stealing more than $100,000 from Between October 2011 and May 2014 from SPG Solar in Petaluma, where she was employed as the payroll manager.

She stipulated to a 28 month sentence, which includes 14 months in prison and 14 months on mandatory supervision. She is also required to make restitution. Madayag, who was arrested earlier this year after an internal audit revealed the embezzlement, was original charged with several counts, including computer crimes, possession of stolen identities, and forgery.

“This office will continue to aggressively prosecute embezzlers,” Ravitch said in a statement released by her office. “Ms. Madayag was an employee who selfishly took advantage of a position of trust in the workplace. I cannot stress enough how important it is that businesses have checks and balances in place, and that they report suspicious bookkeeping activity immediately to their local law enforcement office.”

Over the nearly three-year period, Madayag embezzled $138,175.03 from SPG Solar, which designs and installs commercial solar electric energy systems, and moved to a warehouse space in Petaluma from Novato in 2012. Madayag was re-routing employee paychecks and intercepting payments from clients which she would deposit into several bank accounts she opened in her own name. According to the district attorney’s office, the company was not aware of the thefts until management discovered a former employee was still receiving paychecks via direct deposit.

Madayag was arrested in July after an investigation which included an internal audit, uncovered additional direct deposits in the names of other former employees as well as evidence that several people currently working for the company were listed as receiving more than one paycheck. Maydayag was depositing those extra checks into her accounts.

A sentencing hearing is scheduled for January 14. Deputy DA Daniel Cohan prosecuted the case, which was investigated by Petaluma Police Detective Lance Novello.

(Contact Elizabeth M. Cosin at elizabeth.cosin@arguscourier.com)

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