Paddy embezzlement case: High court stays conviction of former MLA Mangat Rai Bansal
Chandigarh The high court has stayed the conviction of former MLA Mangat Rai Bansal after finding that former special judge, Central Bureau Investigation (CBI), Hemant Gopal, was indicted for bribery in the case involving Bansal.
Mangat Rai Bansal, who was convicted and awarded 7 years imprisonment on charges of cheating and criminal conspiracy in October 2013, can now contest the Punjab assembly polls in 2022.
“Though no final order has been passed by the hon’ble High Court qua Hemant Gopal, additional district and sessions judge, who is continuing under suspension for the last about 4 years yet prima facie, his indictment as per the enquiry report is apparent on record, therefore, this application is allowed, the impugned judgment of conviction and order of sentence shall remain stayed during the pendency of the appeal and will have no adverse effect on the civil rights of the petitioner,” justice Arvind Sangwan said in the judgment released on Monday.
The bribery case against the judge pertained to allegations by one of the accused in a paddy embezzlement case that Singla, a law officer with the Punjab government, ‘struck a deal’ on behalf of Gopal. The accused, Mangat Rai Bansal, had circulated a compact disc showing Singla collecting ₹40 lakh as bribe from another accused in the case, Parminder Singh, allegedly on the behalf of the judge. The date of this ‘collection’ was stated to be April 17, 2013.
The CBI court presided over by Gopal convicted 22 accused including Bansal and three FCI officials. But two accused Bachni Devi and Parminder Singh, who allegedly paid the bribe, were acquitted. The conviction order was passed in October 2013 in the 1999 case of embezzlement of ₹1.8 crore for which CBI had registered an FIR in 1999. The trial court judgment was subsequently challenged in the high court and is admitted for hearing.
In August this year, Mangat Rai Bansal had filed a fresh plea seeking stay on conviction in view of the fact that the presiding officer who convicted him has been indicted in the departmental proceedings. He had argued that in 2017, he was denied ticket in view of conviction and now as assembly elections are slated for February 2022, conviction be stayed, so that he can contest assembly polls.
Arroyo Grande woman facing 10 years in prison for embezzlement
Arroyo Grande woman facing 10 years in prison for embezzlement
September 2, 2021
By KAREN VELIE
A 56-year-old bookkeeper from Arroyo Grande pleaded guilty to six counts of embezzlement on Wednesday with an agreement that she will be sentenced to 10 years in state prison.
Ginger Lee Mankins allegedly stole more than $5 million from Rick Machado Livestock and B&D Farms. Initially charged with 15 felony counts, Mankins pleaded guilty to six counts and admitted that her theft exceeded $500,000.
She is set to be sentenced on Oct. 6. Mankins will also be ordered to repay the money she stole in an amount to be determined by the court.
From May 2007 through Feb. 2018, Mankins pilfered funds from Rick Machado Livestock, according to a criminal complaint. The theft was not discovered until March 2018.
Mankins also allegedly embezzled funds from B&D Farms from Aug. 2012 through Dec. 2019.
Rick Machado Livestock is a livestock auctioneer company operated by Rick and Jill Machado. B&D Farms, operated by Gary McKinsey, grows and sells produce.
The San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office Bureau of Investigations conducted the embezzlement probe with assistance from the Arroyo Grande Police Department.
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Former Howell cheer coach pleads no contest to embezzling from Howell schools
A former cheer coach pleaded no contest to embezzling from Howell Public Schools.
Alisha Beaton, 44, of Fowlerville, was charged last year with one count of embezzlement by an agent or trustee of $1,000 or more but less than $20,000.
On Friday, she pleaded no contest to a lesser count of embezzlement by an agent or trustee of $200 or more but less than $1,000.
A no-contest plea is not a formal admission of guilt but is treated as such for sentencing purposes.
The district became aware of accounting issues within its middle school cheer program in the spring of 2019, Tom Gould, director of public relations for Howell Public Schools, said.
Beaton was the head coach of the program that included students from both Highlander Way and Parker middle schools.
According to the police report, Beaton collected money from parents for new cheer shoes and uniforms, among other things, and did not fulfill the orders.
Gould said the district reimbursed families whose children were involved in the program while working with law enforcement to recoup the money.
“While the district has recovered some of the missing funds, its inventory shows that the district is owed approximately $3,000,” Gould said. “As such, the district moved forward with pressing charges against the individual involved in the situation.”
Beaton will be required to repay the school district $2,158 as part of the plea agreement.
She is scheduled to appear in front of Livingston County Circuit Court Judge Michael Hatty for sentencing on Oct. 21.
Contact Kayla Daugherty at 517-552-2848 or kdaugherty@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @KayDaugherty92