Former San Francisco Giants Employee Sentenced to 21 Months

Former Giants Payroll Manager Embezzled $2.2 Million

SAN FRANCISCO—Robin M. O’Connor was sentenced today to 21 months in prison and ordered to pay $1,456,865.60 in restitution for embezzling over $2 million from her former employer, the San Francisco Giants Baseball Club, United States Attorney Melinda Haag announced.

Ms. O’Connor pleaded guilty on November 14, 2011 to wire fraud. According to the plea agreement, Ms. O’Connor, a former payroll manager for the Giants, admitted to embezzling approximately $2.2 million from June 2010 through June 2011. According to the plea agreement, Ms. O’Connor diverted money from the Giants and Giants employees by, among other methods, transferring into her personal bank accounts (i) funds derived from improperly reducing employee tax withholdings; (ii) funds intended to pay employee salary and expenses; and (iii) funds from fictitious paychecks that she created. Ms. O’Connor has returned some of the funds and forfeited certain assets as part of her obligation to pay restitution.

Ms. O’Connor, 42, of American Canyon, was charged by complaint on July 7, 2011 and by information on November 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 a plea agreement.

Ms. O’Connor was arrested on July 8, 2011 and was released on that date on a $500,000 secured bond. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Court Judge James Ware following a guilty plea to the wire fraud count alleged in the information. Judge Ware also sentenced the defendant to a three-year period of supervised release, during which she will be subject to other conditions. The defendant will begin serving the sentence on June 11, 2012.

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.