Woman jailed for stealing from Molokai nonprofit

Director says theft ‘hurt our organization quite a bit’

WAILUKU -- A Molokai woman is serving a six-month jail term for stealing tens of thousands of dollars from a nonprofit organization that had employed her.

Eliza-Kay Vendiola, 41, was doing bookkeeping for the Molokai Community Service Council when she wrote fraudulent checks to herself and others from June 30, 2017, to Dec. 12, 2019, according to court records.

"We want to reiterate that we really got hurt by this theft, and it was an ongoing process," Karen Holt, executive director of the organization, said when Vendiola was sentenced Thursday.

Holt, who appeared with three board members by videoconference for the sentencing in 2nd Circuit Court, said the theft was discovered after Vendiola wrote the last fraudulent check for more than $4,000.

"We have been very concerned about the future of our community's ability to benefit from our organization," Holt said. "She hurt our organization quite a bit, and she also took money we had been saving to be able to serve our community in years to come."

While the restitution amount was still being calculated, Vendiola had agreed to pay $70,000, said Deputy Public Defender Jeffrey Wolfenbarger.

She had pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of second-degree computer fraud and first-degree theft. Forty-two counts of second-degree forgery were dismissed in exchange for her pleas.

The lifelong Molokai resident "chose to take money from her community and spend it on herself and her family," said Deputy Prosecutor J.W. Hupp.

He said she created a Class of 1998 fundraiser that was used for parties for her family. "And the other money was just taken and spent," Hupp said.

"She's still living high," he said. "This is Molokai. She's going on trips. She's having a good time, and the community is out all this money."

Wolfenbarger said there was a class reunion. "This was not a fake event," he said.

He said Vendiola accepted responsibility for what "started out kind of small and snowballed" until she was "in too deep."

She had raised $1,000 and thought she could raise another $3,000 to $4,000 to pay back to the nonprofit that has sponsored community projects, Wolfenbarger said.

A plea agreement between the defense and prosecution recommended probation and no jail for Vendiola.

"But some jail sentence needs to be imposed when there's an admission and there's harm to the community," 2nd Circuit Judge Peter Cahill said.

"The ripple effect is not only the theft of funds but the suspicion that any loss like this causes to nonprofits," Cahill said. "Funders become highly suspicious that you're not watching over your funds properly. If the funds come from government sources, those funders can sanction nonprofits.

"The smaller the community, the greater a loss to one's reputation because everybody knows what's going on. To gain back that trust is a difficult thing."

As part of her sentence, Vendiola was placed on four years' probation.

Cahill said the defense could ask for Vendiola's jail sentence to be reduced or suspended if her family could pay the restitution amount or have a payment plan.

A restitution hearing is set for April 21.

* Lila Fujimoto can be reached at lfujimoto@mauinews.com.