Richard Robles Garcia, a former South Tucson Police Department lieutenant, was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison April 10 for embezzling more than $560,000 from the police department and the city, court documents show.
Garcia was also ordered by the U.S. District Court to pay $454,963.45 in $200 monthly installments for his crimes.
It will take many lifetimes for Garcia to repay the city, said Enrique Serna, South Tucson city manager.
“We were victimized again,” he said. “There’s no real restitution.”
Garcia’s actions may have added to the burden the city is facing, he said. Half of the more than $450,000 Garcia stole would have gone to South Tucson’s general fund.
Garcia pleaded guilty Jan. 26 to the U.S. District Court. He was sentenced to the minimum sentence arranged in his plea agreement.
Garcia, 47, who was the police department’s second in command, ran the South Tucson
Police Department’s asset-forfeiture program. He was the sole custodian of its evidence room, and court documents show he embezzled money between February 2004 and May 2008.
Garcia was a 13-year veteran of the STPD, but was fired in June following an investigation in May by the FBI and the Internal Revenue Service.
The investigation found Garcia received STPD checks from vehicle impounds and asset forfeitures then deposited them into his own checking account or withdrew money from the department’s account.
Garcia said he stole because of his gambling habit, but said he tried to pay the city back with his gambling winnings, according to court documents.
“We won’t ever put this behind us,” Serna said. “Garcia’s actions will always have an impact on the city, especially its police.”
