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Sherry Gong admits to embezzlement, attorney says

July 9, 2019

Sherry Gong

An attorney representing the wife of San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder Tommy Gong, who is charged with embezzling more than $32,000 from the Atascadero High School Band and Pageantry Booster Club, released a statement saying his client admitted her actions to Atascadero police and she took the money because of a family emergency. [Tribune]

On Monday, prosecutors charged Sherry Gong, the former treasurer for the booster organization, with three felony counts of grand theft by embezzlement, for which she faces up to four years and four months in prison. Late in the day, Sherry Gong’s attorney, Guy Galambos, released a statement claiming his client had borrowed funds from the booster club to address the family emergency and had not succeeded in paying them back.

“About a year ago (April 2018) Sherry Gong was subjected to a highly stressful family crisis. A close family member called her in a panic. He begged her for a large sum of money he needed within three days, declaring it was a matter of life or death, but he wouldn’t elaborate on the details,” Galambos’s statement says.

Galambos characterized the embezzled funds as “borrowed” money and as an “emergency loan” that Sherry Gong intended to repay but never did. Sherry Gong tried to recoup the money by borrowing from extended family members and selling some of her jewelry.

Sherry Gong was frightened and embarrassed, and she did not tell her husband about the situation.

“When she was contacted by the Atascadero Police Department, Sherry agreed to an interview where she admitted her actions and she presented replacement funds to the investigative detective in the form of cashier’s checks. It was only after this meeting that her husband was informed,” Galambos said in the statement.

Galambos also said Sherry Gong feels great remorse and shame for her actions and seeks to repay the booster club as soon as possible.

According to the SLO County District Attorney’s Office, Sherry Gong took $3,104 out of an Atascadero High School Band and Pageantry Booster Club bank account on about July 5, 2017. Then on about April 24, 2018, Sherry Gong allegedly lifted $19,000 from a second booster club bank account. Later the same day, Sherry Gong allegedly took another $9,850 from another of the club’s accounts.

After the district attorney’s office announced it had filed charges, Tommy Gong released a statement saying he is not implicated in the case and was not aware of the matter until recently receiving a call from an Atascadero police detective. Tommy Gong also said he is standing by his wife’s side and supporting her during this difficult time.

In 2018, Tommy Gong received a base salary of $151,253 from SLO County, according to Transparent California.


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Go directly to jail, do not pass go, do not collect $200, lol


14

Yes, but no. The similar case referenced in the article was 90 days. First, cut that in half off-the-bat, and then that can be home monitoring, work release, weekends, community service, pay-to-stay in the Redondo Beach City Jail for $100/night with flat-screens, high-speed internet, gourmet food, and the ability to make hotel-style reservations over 3 years… we never hear the actual resulting terms of the sentence. These decisions are made by the Sheriff, so the DA can get a “good” sentence for the public with out too much inconvenience to the defendant, these are policy, and in many, like this case, political decisions.


3

Dirty Dow will let her off.


9

So, does she have any proof that she gave the $32K to her relative, or did she keep it?


27

There is certainly many people that will be adversely affected by this “transgressional borrowing’ but no one possibly so overlooked as SLO County DA DAN DOW.


Imagine the mental torment of trying to litigate this case in favor of the defendant as the DA has done so many times in the past. Given the public scrutiny and high profile of those involved must have Mr. Dow thinking of yet another legal strategy to dole out the least punishment possible.


Don’t worry Sherry… he will think of something.


And defense attorney Galambos don’t ask for a change of venue…

You want Dow in this case.


13

Guessing she’s a regular at either the Tachi Palace in LeMoore or the Chumash Casino in Santa Ynez.


30

And another big unanswered question is……


HOW DID SHE GET CAUGHT?


A guilty conscious and she turned herself in…


An audit 14 months later uncovered the dirty deed…


Did she use her power as treasurer to hide this malfeasance for 14 months…


Maybe she couldn’t sleep at night and finally had to fess up to Tommy…


We may never know.


13

Funny, Funny… KSBY does not have this story on the web-site…hmmmmm.


20

According to her attorney the “stressful” family emergency was in April 2018, but she first stole money in July 2107, did she have ESP that the family member was going to call in 10 months so she needed to start stealing the year before?


38

If DA Dan Dow has any input on this he’ll just make it go away, no charges for the protected class, police, government workers, family and friends all get a pass.


26
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