A former Anaheim Police Department
cadet who stole more than $225,000 in cash fees paid to
the City of Anaheim for the release of impounded vehicles got a year in jail and five years probation at her sentencing last week. Kainat
Syeda, 24, of Buena Park, was also ordered to pay $225,000 in restitution to Anaheim, $100,000 of which she ponied up Friday with a cashier's check.
]
With Syeda's conviction–she pleaded guilty to one felony count of the misappropriation
of public funds and sentencing enhancements and allegations for theft
exceeding $100,000 and property loss over $200,000–she is permanently barred from working in any public agency in
California.
In addition to towing and storage fees, those who have their cars impounded in Anaheim must pay a “release fee” to the city. While working in uniform as a police cadet in the
front lobby traffic bureau window at the Anaheim Police Department, Syeda took these payments, but instead of putting the cash in the register she kept it. Talk about your repeat offenders: Syeda did this 1,799 times for a $225,000 total haul. Another cadet eventually uncovered Syeda's thefts and, put under watch, she was caught in the act stealing even more. She was arrested on May 19, 2010.
Previous coverage:
- Kainat Syeda, Anaheim Police Cadet Accused of Embezzling $225,000 in Vehicle Impound Fees
OC Weekly Editor-in-Chief Matt Coker has been engaging, enraging and entertaining readers of newspapers, magazines and websites for decades. He spent the first 13 years of his career in journalism at daily newspapers before “graduating” to OC Weekly in 1995 as the alternative newsweekly’s first calendar editor.