Former Los Gatos Convent Employee to Be Sentenced For Fraud

A former lay employee of the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary Catholic Convent in Los Gatos' sentencing has been scheduled for 10 a.m. April 11 at the federal court building on South First Street in downtown San Jose.

The official pronouncement of the punishment against Linda Gomez, 67, originally scheduled for March 28, got postponed two weeks by U.S. District Judge D. Lowell Jensen.

Gomez, also known as Linda Surrett, pleaded guilty in October of 2012 to 17 counts of fraud after admitting having embezzled $100,000 from the religious order. A 2011 grand jury indictment included 14 counts of wire fraud and three counts of mail fraud against her.

The maximum statutory penalty for wire and mail fraud is 20 years in prison and a fine of $1 million, plus restitution, said U.S. Attorney Joseph Fazioli.

The prosecution is considering filing a so-called sentencing memorandum before the hearing in two weeks laying out the recommendations for what the exact judgement should be against Gomez, Fazioli said.

"That's where the parties will lay out their recommendations to the court as to what the appropriate sentence should be," he explained about the memorandum.

Wire fraud is committed when a scheme is set up with a wire being sent like money being wired in connection to a theft.

The indictment against Gomez states that while working at the convent from 1987 to 2010 in various administrative positions she embezzled cash and charged personal purchases such as kitchen appliances for her home, jewelry, shoes, purses and other personal items to a convent credit card.

Formerly of Sunnyvale, and now residing in Chandler, AZ, Gomez worked at the convent as director of food services and the manager of the on-site convenience store. She also made purchases for the 75 Catholic nuns and 60 lay employees at the convent, according to the indictment.

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