This post was updated on Aug. 25 at 6:08 p.m.

Police arrested a former UCLA personal assistant Thursday for embezzling about $80,000 from a bank account she was assigned to monitor for over a year.

Casandra Carmen Jones, 51, was a hired as a doctor’s temporary personal assistant at the UCLA Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine in February 2014, where she was assigned to monitor a university bank account, said UCPD Detective Brian Washburn.

Police said she stole the money from April 2014 to February 2015. After she was moved to a different department, the new personal assistant that replaced her immediately found the discrepancies and told the doctor.

UCPD began to investigate the embezzlement after the assistant and the doctor reported it to police in March. Police arrested Jones in her San Bernardino home Thursday, after a judge issued a warrant, Washburn said. Police then found documents, such as credit card statements, to conclude she had embezzled the money.

Jones was released Tuesday on a $78,000 bail, according to Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department records.

Washburn said he doesn’t think the money will be recovered, because it appears Jones spent it on personal expenditures and bills.

UCPD filed felony charges on Monday. Jones will appear at the Airport Courthouse for a preliminary hearing on Sept. 9.

Compiled by Roberto Luna Jr., Bruin senior staff.

Published by Roberto Luna Jr.

Roberto Luna Jr. is currently a senior staffer covering Westwood, crime and transportation. He was previously an assistant News editor from 2015-2016 and a News contributor from 2014-2015.

Join the Conversation

2 Comments

  1. Just another greedy and crooked California resident. California is full of greedy a** people. Now she’s in line to have a felony on her record. Aint no bill or expenditure on this earth is worth embezzling for. I guess even at her age, 51, she didn’t know that or didn’t care. California with the high cost of living, drives people to do crooked s*** like this. That’s aint an excuse I’m just saying.
    And for some reason, I bet she’ll get another job(s) down the line because she has experience and worked at UCLA even though she will be a convicted felon, that’s if her lawyer(s) don’t get their butts kicked at her trial.

  2. Is this the same Casandra Jones that was charged in Georgia?

    Home » Press Releases » Four Individuals Charged with Medicaid Fraud in Henry County

    PRESS ADVISORY

    Four Individuals Charged with Medicaid Fraud in Henry County

    June 22, 2015

    On Thursday, June 11, 2015, a Henry County Grand Jury charged Casandra Jones, Fredrick Thrasher, Antoine Johnson and Lynesha McElveen with one felony count of Medicaid Fraud (O.G.G.A. § 49-4-146.1(b)) and one felony count of Conspiracy to Defraud the State (O.C.G.A. § 16-10-21). Casandra Jones was charged with 38 additional counts of Forgery (O.C.G.A. § 16-9-1).

    Casandra Jones and Fredrick Thrasher were the owners and operators of House of Preparation, LLC, located in Henry County, Ga. House of Preparation, LLC purported to provide Community Mental Health Services to children. Antoine Johnson and Lynesha McElveen were employees of House of Preparation, LLC.

    Between Jan. 21, 2010, and Dec. 16, 2013, Jones and Thrasher were enrolled in the Georgia Medicaid Program. The program rules and regulations expressly prohibit billing Georgia Medicaid for any services not performed and altering patient records. The charges allege that Jones, Thrasher, Johnson and McElveen caused fraudulent billings to be submitted to Georgia Medicaid. Jones, Thrasher, Johnson and McElveen then created fraudulent documents to support the false billings to Georgia Medicaid. The investigation also revealed that Jones was in possession of numerous forged documents. As a result of submitting fraudulent billings, Jones and Thrasher accepted payments from Georgia Medicaid totaling $3,832,855.72, which is more than they were entitled.

    Assistant Attorney General Robin Daitch presented the case to the Henry County Grand Jury. The case was investigated by Investigator Gretchen Brocard, Investigator Ralph Harper, Investigative Auditor Denise Colson, Chief Analyst Carmen Staley, Forensic Analyst Tish Murray and Nurse Investigator Mary Murr of the Georgia Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Community Health also assisted with this investigation.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *