On Dec. 9, Paul De La Cerda, vice president of instruction at Cabrillo College, was charged with embezzlement and accused of overbilling his former employer for trips he took.
De La Cerda, 47, was charged with one felony count each of misappropriation of government funds and embezzlement of government funds, according to a press release issued by Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón.
De La Cerda is expected to be arraigned on Jan. 7 in Department 30 of the Foltz Criminal Justice Center in Los Angeles.
He is accused of overbilling East Los Angeles College, where he was dean, about $1,575 for several hotel stays between March 2017 and 2019. He allegedly forged documents he submitted for reimbursement, according to Gascón.
The case remains under investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Fraud and Cyber Crimes.
De La Cerda joined Cabrillo in June of this year.
Cabrillo spokeswoman Kristin Fabos said via email, “We cannot discuss details due to the fact that it is a confidential personnel matter.”
She provided a statement on behalf of the college: “The Cabrillo Community College District is actively engaged in working on this matter. We take this development very seriously and recognize this is creating concern among employees, students, and the community. We acknowledge that concern, but are restricted in what we can publicly share as this is a confidential personnel matter. Please know that this has our full attention and that we will share additional details as we are able. The best interests of the College, its students and employees, and our community continue to be paramount.”
The Cabrillo Community College Governing Board meets virtually Monday, Dec. 13, at 6:15 p.m. To attend, here is the Zoom link: https://cccconfer.zoom.us/j/92614254891