Santa Clara County prosecutors to head up executive management team
Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen today announced the appointments of two accomplished prosecutors to his executive management team: the head of the domestic violence team and a veteran homicide prosecutor. This comes just in time for the DA’s office to free up obligations to help prosecute embezzlement and non-violent crimes.
According to the DA’s Office, The former executive director of the Peninsula Symphony Association this week was found guilty of tax fraud. Superior Court Judge Allison Danner’s verdict comes two months after Stephen Jay Carlton pleaded no contest to embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Los Altos orchestra of volunteer musicians.
Stephen Jay Carlton in a Peninsula Symphony publicity photo.
Carlton, 46, of Novato, remains in custody pending his sentencing. He faces up to 16 years in prison when he is sentenced next year.
The $272,000 embezzlement was uncovered in September of last year when a bank alerted a board member that the non-profit’s funds were showing an unusually low balance. Symphony officials brought the issue to local police. Carlton resigned soon afterward.
An investigation by the Los Altos Police Department and the state Franchise Tax Board showed that Carlton had written numerous checks to himself from Symphony funds. He had used some of the money to pay off personal debts, including back taxes.
On his state income tax returns for 2010 through 2012, Carlton underreported wages from the PSA and failed to report the embezzled funds as income. He was found guilty of a misdemeanor and two felony counts for filing false tax returns.
Cindy Hendrickson and Brian Welch will officially become Assistant District Attorneys in January. Hendrickson, 49, currently heads the Family Violence unit. Welch, 51, leads the District Attorney’s North County Office in Palo Alto. Both have won awards for their successful prosecutions.
“I feel honored and lucky to work closely with these wise, hard-working, and deeply devoted public servants,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said. “They represent the excellence of the entire office and the community that we proudly serve.”
The two new Assistants are replacing Marc Buller, who is retiring next month after a distinguished 30-year career, and David Howe, a well-respected prosecutor who retired earlier this year.
