The former head of a homeless services nonprofit has been charged with misappropriating $1.2 million in public funds.
Gwendolyn Westbrook, former chief executive officer of United Council for Human Services, also allegedly filed false documents including California Tax Returns for several years, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said in a news release.
Westbrook, 71, is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday and faces nine felony charges, including one count of misappropriation of public funds, three counts of grand theft, one count of presenting a false invoice for payment and four counts of filing false California tax returns for tax years 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.
The community nonprofit contracted with San Francisco to provide homeless services.
Prosecutors said Westbrook allegedly misappropriated more than $1.2 million in public funds from UCHS accounts to herself through a combination of undocumented cash withdrawals and self-issued payments.
Additional large sums withdrawn from the organization’s accounts remain unaccounted for, Jenkins said.
Between 2019 and 2023, Westbrook allegedly made unauthorized self-payments and improper cash withdrawals, and engaged in fraudulent reimbursement practices to divert public funds for personal use.
Westbrook couldn’t be reached for comment on Monday.