Ex-Fiscal Officer Pleads Guilty to Theft of $287,000 : Crime: Money was taken from an agency that assists people with physical and mental disabilities and another that aids troubled youths.

A former fiscal officer for two social services programs funded by the city Community Development Department has pleaded guilty to embezzling nearly $300,000 from projects for troubled youth and the disabled, authorities said Monday.

Nga Doan Thai, 56, of Los Angeles pleaded guilty April 12 to theft of public funds from Assisting the Disabled with Employment and Training (ADEPT) and Project Heavy West, a juvenile delinquency diversion program.

A city investigator said Thai spent much of the funds--embezzled from 1986 to 1988--on telephone gambling services and in Los Angeles-area card clubs.

“He was very quiet, very meticulous, a good bookkeeper,” said Lorezno Merritt, executive director of Project Heavy West, which provides services to 2,000 youth. “Unfortunately, he was a thieving bookkeeper.”

Charges were filed against Thai last November after staff members at one agency noticed accounting irregularities, said George Hughley, chief investigator with the special investigations unit of the Community Development Department.

ADEPT and Project Heavy West are nonprofit agencies operating programs under contract with the city. Hughley said Thai was the chief fiscal officer for ADEPT and the only accountant for Project Heavy West.

“This guy was in one of the highest positions of trust,” Hughley said. “That’s why he was able to carry on that activity for a long time.”

Both agencies received federal Job Training Partnership Act funds from the U.S. Department of Labor, authorities said. ADEPT helps people who have physical and learning disabilities become self-sufficient.

The charges came after an investigation by the federal regional inspector general for investigations in San Francisco, Los Angeles Police Department’s bunco squad and Community Development Department.

Hughley said that Thai also deposited some embezzled payroll funds into a personal account. In all, he embezzled $140,000 from ADEPT and $147,000 from Project Heavy West.

Thai has returned $175,000 of the embezzled funds to the agencies, Hughley said.

“He recognized that he was caught with his hands in the cookie jar and he started making restitutions.”

Thai, free on $75,000 bail, is scheduled to be sentenced May 10 and faces up to eight years in prison.