Ginger Mankins is sentenced to 10 years in state prison for embezzlement charges
ARROYO GRANDE — San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow announced on Monday, June 27, that former Arroyo Grande resident Ginger Lee Mankins (DOB 11/30/64) has been ordered to pay restitution to Rick Machado Livestock in the amount of $1,304,524.
On September 1, 2021, Mankins pleaded guilty to six counts of felony embezzlement involving two victim businesses: Rick Machado Livestock and B&D Farms. The theft occurred over a roughly 10 year period, from mid-2007 to January 2018. On October 13, 2021, San Luis Obispo County Superior Court Judge Jacquelyn Duffy sentenced Mankins to 10 years in state prison on the plea describing the impact of Mankins’ crime as “a tremendous loss and violation of trust.”
At Monday’s restitution hearing, Superior Court Judge Denise DeBelleFeuille stated that Machado Livestock should be “made whole” for its losses, noting Mankins’ “spectacular betrayal of trust.” Testimony at the restitution hearing demonstrated that Mankins embezzled $3,440,205 between May 2007 and January 2018 from Machado Livestock and caused further losses to the business in the amount of $811,317. At the hearing evidence was also presented that Mankins and her husband repaid $2,947,000, leaving $1,304,524 owed to Machado Livestock.
“Embezzlement committed by employees in positions of trust are especially devastating, particularly when it involves staggering amounts of stolen funds over such an extended period of time,” said District Attorney Dan Dow. “This 10 year prison sentence and order to repay more than $1,300,000 of stolen funds affirms that those who steal from our business community will face aggressive prosecution in San Luis Obispo County.”
Restitution was not ordered for the second victim of embezzlement, B&D Farms, as a final accounting has yet to be completed. A hearing to determine losses suffered by B&D Farms has been set for October 5, 2022.
The case was investigated by the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office Bureau of Investigations with the aid of the Arroyo Grande Police Department and was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Michael Frye assigned to the District Attorney’s Special Prosecutions Unit that includes both Major Fraud and Public Integrity.
