Embezzling School Funds: Mother-Daughter Duo Sentenced

ALHAMBRA, CA – A former account clerk at an Alhambra high school and her daughter were each sentenced today to four years in state prison for embezzling $189,000 from a school bank account, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced in a press release. Juanita "Chic" Boranian, 62, and Erika Boranian, 31, were sentenced by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge M.L. Villar.

In July, the elder Boranian entered an open no contest plea to eight felony counts, including embezzlement and misappropriation of public funds along with a sentencing enhancement for a loss over $100,000, the press release said. Erika Boranian pleaded no contest to two counts of grand theft as well as the $100,000 sentencing enhancement.

Deputy District Attorney Terrie Tengelsen of the Public Integrity Division prosecuted the case.

Juanita Boranian was an account clerk for the Associated Student Body at Mark Keppel High School, and her daughter was a volunteer cheerleading coach at the school and helped her mother with the ASB fund.

Between 2007 and 2012, the pair siphoned tens of thousands of dollars from the school account. The thefts were concealed for years through manipulation of accounting records, combined with the alteration and destruction of bank records, accounting records and cash receipts, the prosecutor said.

A comprehensive audit conducted by the Alhambra Unified School District took nearly 18 months, the press release said. A restitution hearing is set for Jan. 25.