ENCINITAS — Susan Seibert, 49, pleaded guilty last week to embezzling $545,000 from the Leucadia Pizzeria restaurants.
For four years, Seibert was the bookkeeper of Leucadia Pizzeria, which has three locations in North County.
In May 2012, the owners of Leucadia Pizzeria proposed an audit due to finances appearing inconsistent. Shortly after, Seibert announced she was quitting, according to Deputy District Attorney Anna Winn.
Seibert faced a maximum of 10 years in prison, but took a plea bargain. In exchange for pleading guilty to embezzlement charges before the pretrial, Seibert was sentenced to four years in prison, and other felony charges were dropped, Winn said.
Winn said Seibert was ordered by Judge David Berry to pay $540,000 in restitution. Once Seibert gets out of prison, the California Franchise Tax Board will garnish wages from her future paychecks.
The amount she owes cannot be discharged due to bankruptcy, Winn noted.
Seibert was arrested in June after the audit showed she forged 172 checks to herself from the Leucadia Pizzeria account. She tried to cover her tracks by listing vendors as the check recipients, according to court documents.
Winn said the owners of Leucadia Pizzeria, who could not be reached for comment, were “distraught” by the embezzlement.
Seibert was “like family” and “trusted,” Winn noted.
Winn said this is the first time Seibert has been convicted of embezzlement.
