Business owner arrested on suspicion of stealing nearly $200k from Oakdale nonprofits
A Hughson resident and business owner faces charges of embezzlement and grand theft for allegedly stealing nearly $200,000 from three nonprofit foundations in Oakdale.
In a news release, the city’s Police Department said Lana Casey, who served as a board member and signer for the nonprofits, was arrested Wednesday.
In June, the OPD’s Investigations Unit was alerted to the thefts by several board members who discovered that money was missing from their foundations’ accounts.
Police investigators issued a search warrant for Casey’s bank accounts and discovered that dozens of checks from the organizations were deposited to her account, the news release says.
Casey was booked into the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center but did not appear in the in-custody log late Wednesday afternoon.
Investigators believe she may have “assisted” in other similar thefts of organizations in the area, but the release did not indicate other suspects are being sought.
Police have not released which nonprofits were allegedly victimized. However, a December 2021 Modesto Bee article said Casey was on the board of Pacific Project Heroes, which supports veterans and first responders.
Social media pages indicate she owns the Oakdale shop Lana’s Spur of the Moment, and police confirmed that on Thursday.
People with information about the investigation or who believe they may be victims are urged to call Detective Madyson Falconi at 209-605-3519 or 209-847-2231.
This story was originally published October 19, 2022 at 5:28 PM.
