Former Rialto school accountant who stole $1.8M in lunch money released early from jail

Sunday, June 7, 2015
RIALTO, Calif. (KABC) -- A former Rialto Unified School District accountant who embezzled at least $1.8 million in student lunch money has been released from prison after serving six months of her five-year sentence.

Judith Oakes, 50, was released from custody Friday and was granted three years of supervised probation.
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During her probation, she is required to seek and maintain employment, not own a checking account or complete or endorse checks unless made payable to her and not possess any blank checks unless approved by a probation officer.

She must also keep a record of her income and expenditures and pay $1,845,137.81 in restitution, equal to the amount she was convicted of embezzling.

District officials said more than $3 million went unaccounted for during the 25 years that Oakes was employed.

Surveillance video caught Oakes putting stacks of money into a bag bound for the school safe, then stuffing a wad of cash into her bra.

She was sentenced to five years in prison in January.
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