Peninsula Accountant Accused of Embezzling $55,000 From Local Restaurateur

HALF MOON BAY, CA – A Pacifica man who runs an accounting operation out of Half Moon Bay is accused of embezzling tens of thousands of dollars from a client while also neglecting to pay payroll taxes, sheriff's officials said Monday.

According to San Mateo County Sheriff's Det. Savador Zuno, the alleged misdeeds of 70-year-old Mark Christopher Sturm came to their attention when a Peninsula business owner suspected something was awry with their books, which were managed by the founder of Mark Sturm MBA Inc.

"The Sheriff’s Office began investigating Mark Strum after a Peninsula restaurateur, who hired him to provide accounting, payroll and tax services for their three restaurants, discovered a number of glaring discrepancies in their bank accounts," Zuno said in a news release. "After they performed an audit of their restaurant’s finances, they discovered that Strum allegedly embezzled in excess of $55,000 from their accounts, plus he allegedly did not pay the required state and federal payroll taxes in excess of $60,000."

Sheriff's deputies obtained a $100,000 warrant for Sturm, who was eventually booked Thursday into county jail in Redwood City.

Deputies are looking for anyone else possibly victimized by Sturm's accounting practices. Anyone with information about the case is encouraged to contact Detective Gaby Chaghouri at (650) 259-2314 or gchaghouri@smcgov.org.

People wishing to remain anonymous can call the sheriff's office's anonymous tip line at (800) 547-2700.

– Bay City News Service contributed to this report / Image credit: San Mateo County Sheriff's Office