Ex-Limoneira Credit Union Manager Begins Jail Sentence For Grand Theft, Forgery

Sunday May 12, 2024

     Updated--A former manager of the Limoneira Federal Credit Union in Santa Paula has begun her sentence for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the institution.

     55-year-old Tina Louise Torres of Santa Paula surrendered at the Todd Road Jail Friday morning to begin a year long jail sentence.

     Torres was also ordered to pay more than $350,000 in restitution and will be on formal probation for two years after release.

     As long as she obeys the conditions of probation she will avoid a more than three year state prison sentence.

     In September, Torres pleaded guilty to three counts of Grand Theft, two counts of Forgery, and three counts of Grand Theft-Embezzlement .

     She also admitted almost four dozen special allegations that were filed by the Ventura County District Attorney's Office in a charging document that is 14 pages long.

     Prosecutors said that between 2016 and 2019 Torres stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from the credit union and also altered or forged documents to hide her thefts.

     The authorities say she was fired in August of 2019 when the crimes were discovered.