Guilty plea in embezzlement of senior funds

The former president of the Senior Services Network faces up to 10 years in prison after admitting to using checks meant for needy seniors to pay her own bills.

Ramona Hayes, 31, of Dayton, pleaded guilty Tuesday to one felony count of embezzlement of funds from the Senior Services Network.

In addition to a prison term, Hayes faces a possible $10,000 fine at sentencing scheduled for Sept. 8. Hayes also pleaded guilty to one gross misdemeanor count of conspiracy to commit forgery, which carries a potential penalty of up to one year in the Carson City Jail and a $2,000 fine.

District Court Judge Michael Griffin accepted the pleas. The case was prosecuted by the Attorney General's Bureau of Consumer Protection.

Hayes allegedly requested Senior Services Network, a charitable organization which assists financially needy seniors, to issue checks to pay bills of needy seniors. Instead of paying those bills, Hayes used the checks to pay her personal utility and veterinary bills, according to the Attorney General's Office.

The embezzlement amounted to about $1,200. An arrest warrant was issued Aug. 29 on the embezzlement charge, and Hayes was arrested.

"She said she was having a hard time financially," said Deputy Attorney General John McGlamery, who prosecuted the case.

The investigation began last year when a Reno construction firm told the Attorney General's Office that Hayes had contacted it about building a senior center in south Reno.

According to the firm, Hayes presented a letter from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, indicating the foundation had awarded a grant to Homemaker Services to build the senior center.

Hayes used the letter to persuade architectural and building firms to provide services to Hayes' organization, when in fact there was no grant from the foundation, McGlamery said.

"The motive in the forgery case was squirrely," said McGlamery. "The benefit of it didn't go to Ramona; it would have gone to Homemaker Services. Foundations periodically have to file reports and, eventually, they would have figured out there wasn't a grant.

"We had a tough time on the forgery case just in trying to figure out a motive. It was a strange case and hard to follow. The scheme was doomed to fail about where it did. It was a very strange case. A crime was committed, but Hayes wouldn't say her motive."

McGlamery said putting the complaint together on the forgery took about five months. "The whole thing was weird, but an interesting case. We could only prove conspiracy. We couldn't prove who wrote the letter, but could prove she used it illegally. She went through a lot of effort to do this."

McGlamery said one other person was involved, but Hayes would not tell authorities who it was. Hayes had no prior convictions.

"There's only so much money to go around for senior services," McGlamery said. "When somebody starts wasting it, we take it very seriously. The Bureau of Consumer Protection vigorously investigates and prosecutes these cases (against nonprofits and charitable organizations)."