LAGUNA BEACH : City Worker Denies Embezzling Funds
A maintenance supervisor arrested last month on suspicion of embezzlement has pleaded not guilty to charges that he stole at least $17,000 from the city.
Daniel Lee Harris, 40, of Dana Point is accused of siphoning money from city parking meters and change machines and also falsifying account records to conceal the theft, according to court records.
Harris had supervised the repair of parking meters and the collection of money from them for about 14 of the 19 years he has worked for Laguna Beach. City Manager Kenneth Frank estimated that the alleged thefts occurred over an 18-month period. Harris entered the not-guilty plea on Tuesday before Judge Blair Barnette at South Orange County Municipal Court. A pretrial conference was set for Friday.
Court records indicate that police began a monthlong investigation of Harris when the city received information from a confidential source that he was “acting very suspiciously.” Investigators conducted a sting operation, which involved using marked bills and coins to determine if money was missing from the meters.
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