Fraud by shelter worker suspected
An administrative assistant for the nonprofit Casa Youth Shelter allegedly rang up more than $311,500 in charges for an opulent lifestyle that included shopping sprees, a Mercedes-Benz, a Cadillac and a boat, according to a search warrant affidavit recently filed by police.
According to the affidavit, Lydia Fitzgerald, 46, allowed her daughter to buy Christmas gifts on a credit card that billed the nonprofit. Fitzgerald’s husband, Nick, 44, is suspected of trading in a boat for a new Bayliner with $1,837 fraudulently obtained from the shelter’s American Express account, according to the affidavit.
Police have asked for handwriting samples from each family member to compare to credit card bills as part of the ongoing investigation. No arrests have been made.
The nonprofit agency, which officials say has counseled and sheltered more than 10,000 youths in crisis in its 30-year history, is one of only two of its kind in Orange County.
-- David Reyes
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