LIHU‘E — The former employee of a Westside church who was convicted of first-degree theft began her prison sentence Thursday. Daria Bruce, of ‘Ele‘ele, was convicted in 2008 for running an extensive scheme to defraud the Holy Cross and Sacred
LIHU‘E — The former employee of a Westside church who was convicted of first-degree theft began her prison sentence Thursday.
Daria Bruce, of ‘Ele‘ele, was convicted in 2008 for running an extensive scheme to defraud the Holy Cross and Sacred Heart Parish in Kalaheo of more than $80,000.
Bruce was convicted in 2008 of Theft in the First Degree after a trial in front of Chief Judge Randal Valenciano. The state was represented at trial by then-Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Mauna Kea Trask.
An investigation uncovered that Bruce took funds from the parish between 1998 and 2005, when she was acting as the parish secretary and volunteer-treasurer-president of the Filipino Catholic Club.
She took contributions made to the parish and kept them for herself. Bruce also deposited contributions in the club account, wrote checks out to “cash” and deposited those checks in her personal credit union account.
After Bruce was found guilty at trial, the court sentenced her to a 10-year term of probation with an 18-month period of incarceration. She was also ordered to pay restitution to the Holy Cross and Sacred Heart Parish in the amount of $5,000.
However, her sentence was stayed pending appeal. Bruce appealed her conviction to the Intermediate Court of Appeals, which affirmed her conviction and sentence in an opinion dated Oct. 31, 2012.
Bruce then unsuccessfully appealed to the Hawai‘i Supreme Court. Following the end of the appeals process, the state moved to enforce Bruce’s sentence earlier this month. Thursday, Valenciano granted the motion and Bruce was taken into custody to begin serving her sentence.
Bruce, through her attorney, Michael Green, has filed a motion for reduction of sentence, based on the defendant’s age and the fact that she has two jobs and is attempting to get a master’s degree. Arguments on that motion will be heard in May.
The state, represented by Second Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Rebecca Vogt argued that justice had been delayed long enough for the victims in this case and that the court should impose the sentence it had handed down previously.
