BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — The Kern County District Attorney’s Office announced today that defendant Annette Heath entered a plea in a multiple count embezzlement of public funds.
On April 15, defendant Annette Heath plead no contest to two counts of Embezzlement of Public Funds and one count of Grand Theft by an Employee.
The terms of the plea include a maximum of one year in custody, a stipulated restitution amount of $64,660, and three years of felony probation.
Between January 1, 2014, and February 28, 2020, Ms. Heath, who was the Law Librarian for the Kern County Law Library, embezzled public funds from the Kern County Law Library. During this time Ms. Heath overpaid herself $42,857 in wages, used $13,935 for personal purchases, and paid $7,867 for rental vehicles for family members, all of which was taken from Kern County Law Library funds.
Kern County District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer commented on the conviction, stating:
“The Kern County Law Library is a valuable resource for everyone in the community. When individuals are put in a position of trust and use that position to steal public funds, they must be held accountable. I hope the Law Library can recover from this theft by their employee and once again serve our community.”
Sentencing on the case is scheduled for July 30.
