Ex-City Worker to Be Arraigned in Funds Theft

A former San Juan Capistrano engineering assistant is scheduled to be arraigned today on four counts of theft of public funds for allegedly stealing more than $22,000 in city fees, authorities said.

Charles Martin Bryant, currently employed as a senior transportation analyst with the city of Irvine, allegedly diverted developers’ fees into the San Juan Capistrano City Employees Assn.’s bank account and then wrote checks for personal use during his employment in San Juan Capistrano, according to the Sheriff’s Department and the city of San Juan Capistrano.

An Irvine city official said that city is conducting an “administrative review” of Bryant’s performance as an employee and as treasurer of a new employees’ association. Bryant does not handle money in his current duties at Irvine City Hall, the official said.

6-Week Investigation

Bryant, 35, of Laguna Niguel, was arrested Tuesday after a six-week investigation, Sheriff’s Lt. Richard J. Olson said. He remained in custody Wednesday afternoon in lieu of $25,000 bail, Olson said.

Bryant was employed by San Juan Capistrano--where part of his responsibility was to verify payment of engineering fees--from June, 1977, to December, 1985, when he left of his own volition, City Manager Stephen B. Julian said.

The city did not suspect anything was amiss until May, when an individual came in to process a building permit and told city workers that he already had paid certain fees years ago when he split his lot, Julian said. San Juan Capistrano officials could not find any record of the paid fees and asked if the applicant had a receipt, he said. The individual produced the canceled check, which was traced.

“Although it was made out to the city, it never made it into the city account,” Julian said. The money had instead been deposited in the San Juan Capistrano City Employees Assn. account, the city learned.

Upon tracing the funds there, Bob Boone, director of administrative services, notified Julian, who in turn informed the City Council that he was requesting an investigation by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, which provides police services for the city. The fraud detail established that “the bank account of the San Juan Capistrano City Employees Assn. (was used) as a vehicle to divert the stolen public funds from the city” for personal use, Olson said.

Julian said Bryant served as president, secretary and treasurer of the association through the years. He alleged that Bryant wrote checks on the city funds deposited in the association’s account, either “for cash or to pay bills or whatnot.”

The city employees’ association was not involved in wrongdoing, he said. “The association officers were not pleased at all” to learn of the situation, he said.

There was no hint of wrongdoing until the recent investigation, Julian said. “I think while he was here, Marty Bryant was regarded as a competent employee,” he said.