Former San Francisco Giants Employee Convicted of Fraud

Former Giants Payroll Manager Admits Embezzling $2.2 Million

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SAN FRANCISCO—Robin M. O’Connor pleaded guilty in federal court in San Francisco today to wire fraud, United States Attorney Melinda Haag announced.

In pleading guilty, O’Connor, a former payroll manager for San Francisco Baseball Associates LP, owner of the San Francisco Giants Baseball Club (the Giants), admitted to embezzling approximately $2.2 million from June 2010 through June 2011. According to the plea agreement, O’Connor diverted money from the Giants and Giants employees by, among other methods, transferring into her personal bank accounts: funds derived from improperly reducing employee tax withholdings, funds intended to pay employee salary and expenses, and funds from fictitious paychecks that she created. O’Connor has returned some of the funds and will forfeit certain assets and pay restitution.

O’Connor, 42, of American Canyon, Calif., was charged by complaint on July 7, 2011, and by information on Nov. 3, 2011. The information charged her with one count of wire fraud in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1343, to which she pleaded guilty pursuant to the plea agreement.

O’Connor was arrested on July 8, 2011, and was released on that date on a $500,000 secured bond. The sentencing of O’Connor is scheduled for March 5, 2012, before U.S. District Court Judge James Ware in San Francisco. The maximum statutory penalty for a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1343 is 20 years in prison, and a fine of $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater, plus restitution. However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.

Thomas E. Stevens is the Assistant U.S. Attorney who is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Rawaty Yim. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The U.S. Attorney’s Office acknowledges the valuable cooperation of the Giants in this investigation.