COUNTYWIDE : Jury Selection Starts in Ely Expense Trial
Jury selection in the trial of community college Trustee James (Tom) Ely and his wife, Ingrid, started Tuesday in Ventura County Superior Court.
Prospective jurors were questioned on topics ranging from their use of expense accounts to how often they read the newspaper. Some said they had never heard of Tom Ely.
The Elys are accused of conspiring to steal more than $15,000 in Ventura County Community College District funds by padding expense accounts between July, 1988, and January, 1990.
County prosecutors allege in a 31-count complaint that Tom Ely inflated claims for mileage and parking fee reimbursements. He is also accused of using a district credit card to charge airline tickets for him and his wife to attend a community college trustees convention in Louisville, Ky.
Ingrid Ely, former president of the Moorpark College Alumni Assn., had already received a travel advance of $975 from the college to cover the tickets and other expenses, authorities said. She is charged with embezzlement for accepting both payments.
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