CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : VENTURA : Embezzler Granted Delay in Jail Term

Convicted embezzler James T. (Tom) Ely, suffering from cancer, was granted another delay in serving his one-year jail sentence Friday so attorneys can review his medical records. Prosecutor Carol Nelson told Ventura County Superior Court Judge Lawrence Storch that she needed several weeks to subpoena and review the files from Ely’s doctors at UCLA, where he is undergoing cancer treatment. Storch ordered Ely and his wife, Ingrid, to appear in court on April 3. The medical-related delay is the third since the Elys were convicted in June of stealing $15,000 from the Ventura County Community College District by padding expense accounts between April, 1988, and January, 1990. Shortly after the conviction, Ely was diagnosed as having cancer in his cheek, eye socket and jaw. He is undergoing radiation treatment, his attorney said.