Victor Huerta Jr. faces felony counts in Santa Cruz County theft case | Santa Cruz County

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Ariz. (KVOA) – A former employee of the Santa Cruz County Attorney’s Office is accused of stealing more than $190,000 in county money over a period of nearly seven years.

Victor Huerta Jr., a former property and collection specialist, now faces five felony counts according to an indictment. County supervisors are calling the allegations deeply disappointing and saying steps taken after a previous embezzlement case helped uncover this one.

Prosecutors accuse Huerta of using his position to divert money seized by law enforcement and entrusted to the Santa Cruz County Attorney’s Office and Treasurer’s Office. County Supervisor John Fanning says the case has been difficult personally, because he once coached and taught Huerta.

“I actually had the opportunity to coach and teach the gentlemen involved in this situation in the past,” Fanning said. “To say that I was disappointed in his actions is an understatement.”

The case comes just one year after former County Treasurer Elizabeth Gutfahr was sentenced to 15 years in prison for stealing nearly $40 million from taxpayers. County officials say new oversight measures put in place after that case helped detect this alleged theft.

In a statement to News 4 Tucson, District One Supervisor Luis Davis said, “Because of the Gutfahr embezzlement, the county has strengthened financial oversight by hiring a third party auditor and by conducting an internal review of cash-handling procedures. These improvements were key to uncovering this theft.”

The indictment accuses Huerta of stealing more than $100,000 in county funds between May 2018 and February of this year. Prosecutors also allege he fraudulently obtained more than $90,000 through checks he allegedly altered and deposited into his own account.

“On behalf of the county’s office I would like to apologize to our constituents, this is something that should have never happened,” Fanning said. “It is an individual that was looking out for themselves and to better themselves, and they did it by breaking the law.”

The case is now being handled by the Arizona Attorney General’s Office.