Doneia Santiago walks away from the defense table after making an appearance in Lewis County Superior Court at the Lewis County Law and Justice Center in Chehalis.
The theft of tens of thousands of dollars by Mossyrock’s former city clerk means more than just a financial loss to the city, Mossyrock’s city councilors said in Lewis County Superior Court Wednesday.
It has led to a renewed distrust of local government in the small town of about 750, just as councilors felt they were seeing a light at the end of the tunnel of the Great Recession.
“All of this that has happened has devastated our small town,” Mossyrock City Councilor Debra Olson said.
Doneia A. Santiago, 53, of Salkum, was sentenced Wednesday to 60 months in prison, or five years, followed by 12 months of state Department of Corrections supervision after pleading guilty three weeks ago to nine counts of first-degree identity theft.
Santiago made her first appearance in Lewis County Superior Court on June 27 on charges of first-degree theft on suspicion of stealing more than $7,700 from the city of Mossyrock by using city gas cards and for a single transfer to her mortgage company.
However, continued investigation from the Morton Police Department revealed payments totaling about $33,000 from city accounts to Santiago’s mortgage company dating back to 2014.
The thefts were sophisticated, said Mossyrock Mayor Thomas Meade. Santiago allegedly used late-night transfers, credit cards and “realistic-looking false invoices,” approved by the city council. Three state audits missed the thefts.
“Those audits did not reveal any of this embezzlement,” Meade said. “She was that clever and that good at it.”
On July 8, the Prosecutor’s Office filed amended information charging Santiago with nine counts of second-degree theft and nine counts of first-degree identity theft.
Meade told the court Wednesday that further investigation has revealed $67,079.95 missing from city accounts tied to Santiago.
“We believe that underestimates the amount actually stolen,” Meade said. “We still don’t have complete records of what transpired.”
Deputy Prosecutor Paul Masiello recommended the 60-month sentence, the middle of Santiago’s standard statutory sentencing range given the crimes and her criminal history.
“With her conduct in this case and the length of time it went on, the state felt the 60 months was appropriate,” he said.
Santiago’s attorney, Don Blair, noted that the state could have opted to treat his client as a first-time offender, which she is, and sentence her to up to 90 days in jail.
“She got into a situation where she was short of funds and started using the city’s bank account to pay her mortgage payments,” he said. “Clearly she regrets that.”
Blair asked Hunt to consider a sentence below the 60-month recommendation by the prosecutor’s office.
“When my client was first contacted by the mayor, she didn’t dispute it,” he said.
Blair argued that Santiago’s case is much different than other instances of embezzlement.
“A lot of these cases are strikingly similar, where somebody in charge of money embezzles … this case is no different,” he said.
The case is different, he said, because Santiago’s willingness to pay back all or a portion of what she took was not impacting the amount of time she faced in prison.
Santiago gave the value of her accrued leave and her final paycheck to the city to cover a portion of the theft, he added. Blair said Santiago also received a personal loan from a friend which she would have used to pay off the theft in exchange for a consideration of a lower sentence by the prosecutor’s office. The prosecutor’s office did not agree to the bargain, and Santiago returned the loan, he said.
“This case is dissimilar to many of the cases I’ve had … given the direction the state has taken in this case,” he said. “She will be paying for this for the rest of her life.”
When given an opportunity to speak, Santiago said she was sorry for what she’d done.
Hunt disagreed that the case was any different, except in the magnitude of its victims.
“It comes up to $90 per person that was stolen from the city’s funds,” he said. “… Almost everyone who embezzles in my experience … realizes when they’ve been caught, comes up with some excuse (and) is very sorry.”
