A former employee of a San Diego homeless center who stole more than five dozen checks intended for unhoused people was sentenced this week to one year and three months in prison.
Charisse Elaine Alexander pleaded guilty to taking 66 checks totaling more than $70,000, which were intended for people receiving their mail at the San Diego (Neil Good) Day Center for Homeless Adults.
Prosecutors say Alexander used her access to the Day Center’s mail room to steal mail and divvy up the checks with her then-boyfriend.
The pair would forge the signatures of the recipients, then deposit the checks into their bank accounts, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, which said the money was later withdrawn from ATMs.
A prosecution sentencing memorandum states the scheme affected 56 victims, most of whom were unhoused. The victims “had their social security benefits, supplemental security income, and federal and state tax stimulus checks stolen from them. Despite the best efforts of the government to notify these individuals, many are still not aware that they were victimized by the defendant.”
Along with custody, Alexander was ordered Thursday to pay restitution of $73,446.43.