In a shocking turn of events, a federal grand jury has indicted Athena Harven, an East Bay resident, on four counts of wire fraud in connection with an alleged scheme to embezzle over a quarter of a million dollars from a now-defunct San Francisco non-profit organization where she formerly served as Director of Operations, according to the United States Attorney's Office.
As detailed in the indictment, Harven allegedly wrote herself 119 checks on the non-profit’s bank account, preparing falsified paperwork to create the appearance that the funds were designated for the organization's payroll taxes. Instead, she is accused of depositing the checks into her personal accounts and using the proceeds to pay for her lifestyle, including cash withdrawals from ATMs, travel expenses, rent, utilities, groceries, shopping sprees, and even financing her own bakery.
The non-profit in question, based in San Francisco, provided academic support and employment assistance to students in the Sunnydale and Visitacion Valley neighborhoods. It received funding from various sources, including the City and County of San Francisco, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). As the Director of Operations, Harven had control over the organization's financial resources.
According to the indictment, Harven's embezzlement of those funds over a nearly four-year period between April 2015 and December 2018 led to numerous problems for the non-profit, ultimately resulting in its collapse. The indictment alleges that during this time frame, Harven and the organization failed to make any payroll tax payments to federal or state tax authorities, leading to hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid taxes accrued by December 2018. It was at this point that the non-profit laid off its employees, including Harven, ceased operations, and collapsed.
Harven's elaborate cover-up, as described in the indictment, included altering the non-profit's records to show the payee on the checks as ADP, a payroll processing company, rather than herself; intercepting communications from state tax authorities about the unpaid taxes; and even concocting a fake email from a California Economic Development Department employee as an attempt to conceal her fraudulent activities.
Among the allegations, Harven reportedly spent the embezzled funds at merchants like Victoria's Secret, Forever 21, VIP Luggage & Leather, H&M, and Hollister, as well as cash withdrawals and payments for her own bakery's rent. The indictment alleges that "the amount of payroll taxes [the non-profit] failed to pay from 2015 through 2018 closely approximated the $256,771.84 Harven embezzled during that same time period."
Following her initial appearance in federal court, Harven was released on a personal recognizance bond. If convicted, she faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of twice the gross loss resulting from her criminal conduct, and potential restitution payments to the affected parties. Her next appearance in court is scheduled for August 30, 2023, according to the United States Attorney's Office.
It's important to note that an indictment simply alleges that crimes have been committed, and Harven is presumed innocent until proven guilty. The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development - Office of Inspector General, along with Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Parker, Lance Libatique, and Andy Ding, are overseeing the investigation and prosecution of this case.
