The Hidalgo County District Attorney’s Office announced Monday that it has agreed to a plea deal with the former treasurer of the Hidalgo County Child Welfare Board, who is charged with stealing more than $44,000 from the nonprofit.
The deal would require 70-year-old Mission resident Maria Alicia De Leon to pay restitution of $37,800. In turn, prosecutors would offer her five years deferred adjudication.
District Attorney Ricardo Rodriguez said if De Leon completes the deferred adjudication she will be neither guilty nor not guilty and the charges will remain on her record.
De Leon is charged with theft, more than $30,000 but less than $150,000; misapplication of fiduciary/financial property, more than $30,000 but less than $150,000; and two counts of forgery financial instrument.
During the videoconferencing hearing, De Leon told state District Judge Joe Ramirez that she is in the process of selling a property so that she can pay the restitution in whole and estimated that the sale should be taken care of in the next 90 days.
She is accused of stealing a total of $44,718.45 from the nonprofit and has been free on $32,000 in bonds since her July 3, 2019, arrest.
The Hidalgo County Child Welfare Board is a nonprofit that provides assistance to children and families involved with Texas Child Protective Services.
On March 7, 2017, the nonprofit’s president told Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office investigators that De Leon, the former treasurer who had access to the board’s account, was suspected of stealing thousands of dollars, according to a probable cause affidavit.
The nonprofit had already removed De Leon for poor conduct and replaced her with Carmen Pedraza, who was tasked with auditing the treasurer reports for the boards, according to investigators.
Officials with the board also set up a meeting at the International Bank of Commerce inside the Walmart in Edinburg over the missing funds.
“Maria Alicia De Leon had also agreed to attend the meeting but she did not show up. They learned that one account had only $178.63 and the other had $2,860.99 which they both thought were very low balances,” the affidavit stated.
Prior to contacting the sheriff’s office, on March 2, 2017, Pedraza and the board president met with De Leon, who admitted to taking $20,000 from the bank accounts for her family’s personal use, investigators allege.
In all, De Leon is accused of forging 42 checks.
“After reviewing the bank transcripts, it was discovered that since May 2, 2014 through August 2016, there were forty two checks made payable to Maria Alicia De Leon and her family members. Maria Alicia De Leon made twenty four checks payable to herself, for a total amount of $5,313.45,” the affidavit stated.
Investigators also allege she made 15 checks payable to her daughter for a total of $36,800; of making two checks out to her son-in-law for a total of $1,500; and of making one check out to her granddaughter for a total of $1,000.
De Leon’s next hearing is scheduled for July 26.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This post has been updated to clarify information.
