VAN NUYS : St. John Posts Bail on Day She Was to Begin Jail Term

Juanita St. John, a friend and former business associate of Mayor Tom Bradley, was freed on bail Thursday, the day she was scheduled to begin a 90-day jail term for embezzlement and tax evasion.

St. John posted the $2,500 bail imposed by Van Nuys Superior Court Judge Michael Harwin. She was convicted in September of stealing $5,000 from Global Alert, a UCLA-based anti-genocide group for which she served as treasurer. She was also convicted on two counts of filing false state tax returns involving $125,000 in unreported income.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Stephen Licker said his office will await the outcome of her appeal before deciding whether to refile additional grand theft and tax evasion charges on which the jury had deadlocked. Those charges involve $178,000 that prosecutors allege she stole from the city’s nonprofit Task Force for Africa/Los Angeles while she was the group’s executive director.