Ex-Times Employee Pleads No Contest in Theft

The former editorial business director of The Times pleaded no contest Tuesday to one count of grand theft for stealing almost $800,000 from the newspaper through fraudulent invoices for free-lance stories that were never published.

Handcuffed to his former son-in-law, who also pleaded no contest to grand theft, Charles Boesch, 53, of Chino Hills, is scheduled to receive a four-year state prison term when he returns for sentencing Jan. 7. Under a plea agreement read in court, Boesch will be ordered to make full restitution of the stolen funds.

His former son-in-law, Michael Wayne Coburn, 27, of La Verne, faces up to three years in prison at his sentencing next month. The amount of his restitution will be decided at that time.

Both remain in custody with bail set at $800,000 for Boesch and $500,000 for Coburn.

Proceedings against a third defendant, Jacqueline Barrios, 20, of Los Angeles, were continued. She remains free on $40,000 bail.

Boesch, who worked for The Times for 34 years, was arrested Nov. 12 and charged with grand theft for approving payments to Coburn, Barrios and another woman for freelance articles that were never printed. The payments occurred between Aug. 17, 1993, and Jan. 29 of this year, and were uncovered during an audit earlier this year, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Brent Collier.

After the proceeding before Municipal Judge Elva R. Soper, Collier said full restitution was part of Boesch’s sentence because he was most responsible for the crime.

Collier estimated that Boesch will serve no less than two years in custody before he is eligible for parole.

Boesch’s attorney, deputy public defender Randall Rich, said his client agreed to the plea because the district attorney’s office could have treated each fraudulent invoice as a separate felony--a move that could have added significant jail time for Boesch.