Shelter Sues Bookkeeper Over Missing Cash, Car

A San Clemente shelter for battered women and their children has filed civil and criminal complaints alleging a former bookkeeper embezzled about $87,000 and stole a vehicle that was to be given to a needy family.

The civil case, filed last week in Orange County Superior Court, alleges that Renee Marren, who worked two years for Laura’s House, wrote checks on the agency’s account to herself and fudged the records to make the expenses look legitimate.

Marren did not have the authority to write checks on behalf of the nonprofit organization until she was promoted to bookkeeper in May, executive director Sandy Condello said. After Marren resigned in October, officials noticed discrepancies in the accounting books dating to May 14, according to the lawsuit.

Marren and her husband, Thomas Marren, were arrested Oct. 29 on suspicion of stealing a 1991 Ford Explorer from the parking lot of the 5-year-old nonprofit organization. Both spent a night at Orange County Jail, a sheriff’s spokeswoman said, but criminal fraud charges have not yet been filed.

The Ford Explorer was one of the vehicles that Laura’s House donates to battered women who need transportation and can afford to pay for the vehicle’s insurance and registration, Condello said. The Marrens listed the car for sale in Auto Trader magazine for $6,000, according to the magazine’s advertising records.

An attorney for Renee Marren said he hopes they will not be prosecuted but declined to discuss the complaints in detail.

“She was arrested for the car, but the [district attorney] hasn’t filed the charges against her,” said attorney Mark Devore, who represents Renee Marren. “As far as the checks go, right now it’s a civil matter and hopefully it stays that way.”

The shelter’s lawsuit alleges that between May 14 and Oct. 18, Renee Marren forged 12 checks totaling about $87,000. The largest sum, $54,711, was deposited into an escrow account that Marren used to buy a home in Mission Viejo, and other checks were used to pay credit card debts, the lawsuit alleges.

Laura’s House, which has an annual budget of under $1 million, has recovered the vehicle and the $54,000 from the escrow account, Condello said. Through the lawsuit, Condello hopes to recover the rest, she said.

“She had been a good employee until she had the motive and the opportunity,” Condello said. “This had the potential for being devastating to us, but fortunately it has not threatened the level of our services.”

Renee Marren resigned on Oct. 6. A week later, a call from a vendor demanding payment for services triggered the internal investigation that led to the discovery, Condello said.

“Most people that work for us have their hearts in the cause,” she said. “I don’t want this to happen to any of my fellow charities.”