Bookkeeper Held on Suspicion of Embezzlement
A Chatsworth bookkeeper was ordered held on $1-million bail Friday for allegedly embezzling more than $440,000 from her employer, a well-known West Hollywood cosmetic surgeon.
Xciomara V. Williams-Wilridge , 37, is accused of tax fraud and grand theft in the alleged transfer of funds from the office of Dr. Richard Ellenbogen, a frequent guest on radio and television shows.
Bail was doubled from $500,000 Friday by Los Angeles County Municipal Court Judge Glenette Blackwell, who determined that Williams-Wilridge might flee if released from custody.
The former bookkeeper, who is accused of stealing funds over a three-year period ending in 1998, pleaded not guilty at her arraignment in February. She is scheduled to appear for a hearing in Los Angeles Superior Court on March 19.
If convicted, she could be sentenced to more than six years in prison.
The defendant is charged with failing to report the allegedly embezzled income on state tax returns in 1995, 1996 and 1997. A joint investigation was conducted by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department Commercial Crimes Bureau and the state Franchise Tax Board.
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