Federal authorities arrested a former Orange County school district employee after he allegedly embezzled $14 million to pay off his house and many other luxurious services. According to the Department of Justice, 52-year-old Jorge Armando Contreras embezzled this money over a seven-year period.Contreras served as the Magnolia School District's senior director of fiscal services and managed the district's finances since he was hired in 2006.
Each of these checks ranged from $11,000 to as high as $95,000. He used a fake name on the checks but the money was deposited into his personal bank account. From August 2022 to July 2023, he allegedly embezzled $4.1 million from the Magnolia School District. He used this money to pay $1.9 million to American Express, withdrew $325,000 in cash and bought a house for more than $1.5 million, according to the DOJ.