LAKE COUNTY ? Embezzlement charges against Rowland Mosser, former director of the Lucerne Alpine Senior Center, were dropped Wednesday because of a missing piece of information, according to Lake County District Attorney Jon Hopkins.
Mosser and his wife, Jayne Mosser, turned themselves in to the Lake County Jail in April 2008 on embezzlement charges for allegedly stealing up to $200,000 from the senior center, according to statements from senior center executives at the time. The Lake County District Attorney”s Office did not list the amount allegedly embezzled in the charging document, according to Hopkins.
“Gary Luck reported to me this morning that he determined there was a missing connection in the accounting analysis that needs to be made, and that he determined the best thing to do would be to dismiss the charges and then re-file,” Hopkins said.
“It”s a technical piece that he realized he didn”t have to connect up the accounting analysis to the particular money missing,” Hopkins said. “His belief is that it”s not difficult to make that glitch go away, so the current plan is to get that connection made and re-file the charges.”
Rowland Mosser faced four felony charges of embezzlement, grand theft by an employee, grand theft and keeping a false record of government funds. Jayne Mosser faced a felony grand theft charge.
Hopkins said his office has approximately four years and 10 months from the time the alleged embezzlement was discovered to re-file charges against the couple, which he said was ample time.
Rowland Mosser previously denied having stolen any money from the senior center. His defense attorney, Judy Conard of the Lakeport firm Alvord and Conard, could not be contacted by press time Wednesday.
Hopkins said his office alleged the money was embezzled in 2005, before Rowland Mosser resigned as director in August of that year. The senior center hired Mosser as director in 2002.
Luck, who retired as Lake County District Attorney in 2006, and Ron Larsen, a retired Clearlake Police Department captain, were hired as extra help to investigate the alleged embezzlement. Hopkins said investigators at his office and at the Lake County Sheriff”s Office were busy investigating violent crimes.
Lake County does not have an investigation unit dedicated to fraud and other white-collar crimes. Hopkins” office refers fraud cases to area law enforcement agencies, none of which have fraud units, he said. Hopkins said the Lake County District Attorney”s Office is asked frequently by the Grand Jury to do investigations where county departments are fraud victims. His office currently uses grant money to fund investigation units focused on elder abuse, child abuse and domestic violence.
“It”s very difficult to find a way to put the staff power to the task of investigating and prosecuting a white-collar case,” Hopkins said. “The issue is would we get permission to form that unit and would there be money available to fund us? It”s a matter of it being created. In this county, it would be created by the board of supervisors.”
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com, or call her directly at 263-5636 ext. 37.
