No contest plea in LA celeb embezzlement case

A woman accused of embezzling more than $700,000 from Charlton Heston and television writer and producer Stephen J. Cannell pleaded no contest and was sentenced to more than five years in prison Friday.

Sharon M. Walker, 56, pleaded no contest to two counts of grand theft and one count of tax evasion in Los Angeles Superior Court. A judge immediately sentenced her to prison and ordered her to repay nearly $82,000 in back taxes.

According to prosecutors, Walker stole nearly $568,000 from Cannell, whose writing and producing credits include “The A Team,” “21 Jump Street,” and “The Rockford Files.” Heston and his wife were bilked out of $158,000, prosecutors said in a news release.

Walker worked as an account manager at a business management firm, which allowed her access to Heston and Cannell’s financial info. Prosecutors accused her of forging signatures to pay credit card debts between 1999 and 2005.

Jail records show Walker remains in custody at a Los Angeles-area jail. No attorney information was listed and she could not be reached for comment.