A Petaluma woman, identified as 48-year-old Jennifer Sutton, has been arrested on charges of embezzlement and aggravated white collar crime, following an investigation by the Santa Rosa Police Department's (SRPD) Property Crimes Investigations Team. Allegedly, Sutton embezzled over $150,000 from her Santa Rosa-based employer, a landscape design and construction company.
Events leading to Sutton's arrest began to unfold when a newly appointed bookkeeper detected inconsistencies in the company's financial affairs. According to the official SRPD Facebook post, unauthorized credit card transactions spanning five years were traced back to Sutton. These unauthorized transactions included cash advances, Amazon, Google, and DoorDash services, as well as payments for her personal utilities. It has been discovered that evidence of the alleged embezzlement was found at Sutton's residence in Petaluma.
With a sum of over $150,000 misappropriated, the effects of such a crime are likely to also shake the local economy and trust in businesses.
