A former Inyo Health and Human Services Supervisor and her husband, Dawndee and Kenneth Rossy, were scheduled to appear in Inyo Superior Court this week on a host of allegations, including embezzlement of $1.5 million in welfare money.
According to Assistant District Attorney Joel Samuels, the Rossy’s June 20th preliminary hearing date was vacated. He said a settlement conference will, instead, go forward with visiting Judge Plotkin on Thursday.
On Wednesday, the Rossy’s appeared in Court with a request to withdraw some $18,000 from a bank account. A hold had been placed on that account. Samuels argued to maintain the status quo. The Judge did issue an order to maintain the hold on that account. Samuels said the funds could become a matter of victim restitution.
Another recent issue before the court – the Rossy’s, who previously had their own separate attorneys, have now both hired Gerard Harvey to represent them. The Court conducted a long discussion about the risks of co-defendants being represented by the same attorney. Assistant DA Samuels said since both of the Rossys face the potential of high prison exposure, the issue of attorney conflicts was discussed.
The couple had been arrested in April. The District Attorney’s Office filed 44 felonies against the Rossys – ranging from embezzlement of public funds to conspiracy to commit grand theft, conspiracy to commit identity theft and possession of methamphetamine. The DA’s complaint alleges a scheme by the Rossys to use 35 stolen identities to receive welfare benefits in the form of cash through use of Electronic Benefit Transfer cards.
The Rossy’s are now out of jai but remain on GPS monitors pending court hearings. Questions still remain unanswered about how the embezzlement of $1.5 million of state welfare funds took place undetected for at least five years.
What is going on with this……….
We’re checking.
BK
1.5 mil over a 5 year span, and NO ONE working for Inyo Co. caught it?? Some Inyo co. employee was responsible for monitoring the the fiscal operation of the welfare dept., and didn’t do their job! Has anyone left the County lately to move on to another job in… Read more »
I wonder what they were doing in El Dorado Savings in Bishop with their daughter three weeks prior to them being arrested? The DA should check their daughter’s bank account…and request from the Casino their win/loss statement for the past 8 years, I’m sure a lot of the taxpayers money… Read more »
If it’s anything like the woman who embezzled from Washington Mutual here in town, they’ll go to prison, then we will pay them money to go to College, someone else will take care of their children, never pay back the amount stolen, all the while enjoying no accountability for their… Read more »
True That, the whole monetary system is a epic failure! Making money out of debt, charging interest on it that doesn’t exist, which means there is always more outstanding debt then there is money to pay for it! The lower class pays into interest from taking out loans, while the… Read more »
Hilarious that they hire Gerard Harvey. How does that man still have a license to practice law ? The blind leading the blind.
I thought of that same thing.
how will they pay the state back?garnish theyre unemploment benefits?
Funny…..They want to withdraw $18 thousand dollars they (allegedly) stole to live on,and pay their lawyers…..maybe they should do what George Zimmerman did….set up a web-site,ask for donations to pay for their home,living expenses, their nights out, their food…AND a high-priced lawyer to defend them….worked for him…people were dumb enough… Read more »