Project Graduation treasurer pleads no contest to embezzlement

Mary David, the former treasurer of Cotati-Rohnert Park’s Project Graduation accused of embezzlement, has pleaded no contest to one felony count of grand theft and three counts of felony forgery.

David, 37, made an open plea to the court Jan. 26 to all counts against her, the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office said Thursday.

She is scheduled to be sentenced March 26 by Judge Patrick Broderick. David allegedly embezzled at least $37,000 from Project Graduation from February 2015 to April 2017.

In May, David, through her attorney, gave a $40,000 check to Project Graduation, a safe and sober graduation party for high school graduates run by parent volunteers.

David was on the board of Project Graduation from 2013-2017. She was elected treasurer in 2014, and began writing checks to herself in amounts between $200 and $1,000, the DA’s Office said.

She is accused of forging the board president’s signature on the checks. To cover up the missing Project Graduation funds, David allegedly reported false bank balances and submitted false ledger sheets to the board.

Project Graduation’s checks to legitimate vendors started bouncing by April 2017 and its bank account was in the red, officials said.

You can reach Staff Writer Martin Espinoza at 707-521-5213 or martin.espinoza@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter ?@renofish.