Ex-Lynwood Employee Accused of Embezzlement

A former employee of the city of Lynwood is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Tuesday in Compton Municipal Court on charges of embezzling an estimated $45,000 from the city housing rehabilitation program for low-income residents.

Adrian Picou, 32, of Gardena is accused of fraudulently withdrawing money from escrow accounts set up for the program, Sheriff’s Detective Wayne White said.

White said Picou established a bogus company to receive the money. “He would authorize payment to a company called Unlimited Concrete. Picou and Unlimited were one and the same; he was paying himself,” White said.

The city’s housing and community development manager, Clarence Williams, accused Picou of “authorizing payments for non-existent work for a non-existent company.”

Picou, who had worked for the city since 1987, resigned as senior housing rehabilitation specialist in December, 1989, following allegations that he had continued to do work as an outside contractor while being employed by the city, Williams said.

City officials discovered the alleged embezzlement scheme after Picou left, Williams said.

Picou has been free on his own recognizance since his arraignment March 12. He faces a maximum sentence of nine years in prison if convicted on all 12 felony counts of embezzlement, Deputy Dist. Atty. Robert Saria said.

Neither Picou or his attorney, Ted T. Yamamoto, could be reached for comment.

The city has temporarily suspended the rehabilitation program on the recommendation of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which provided funding for it, HUD spokesman Scott Reed said. A private firm is conducting an internal audit of the program “to make sure checks and balances are in place and there is proper supervisory control,” Reed said.

City officials hope the program will be able to resume next month, Williams said.

The rehabilitation program provides low-income residents with loans of up to $30,000 at 3% interest to make home improvements.