3 Charged In Stealing Hundreds Of Thousands Of Dollars From LA Homeless Nonprofit

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – Three women have been charged with stealing about $400,000 from a Los Angeles-based homeless services organization.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced last week that Latoi Pledger, 45, Sareena Stevenson, 44, and Valencia Stevenson, 38, are facing a combined 56 felony counts, including grand theft and embezzlement.

The three were charged Sept. 9 and were arraigned in L.A. County Superior Court.

The women stole the money from the nonprofit group People Assisting the Homeless (PATH), the attorney general's office alleges in a news release. Two of the defendants were employed by PATH at the time.

In 2016, PATH contracted with L.A. County to provide housing for the homeless. According to state prosecutors, between January and September of 2017, the three defendants submitted fake referrals and assistance requests for clients who were not in fact homeless.

"These clients included their associates, friends, and families, whose identities they manipulated through forged and falsified materials, such as leases and income documents, so that they appeared eligible for PATH assistance," Bonta's office said.

PATH spokesperson Tyler Renner told the Los Angeles Times in a statement that the trio stole about $400,000 through the scheme.

The case was investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department.