Doc T, valid points. And why spend $42,000 plus to house someone who embezzled $42,000? Yes, save the bed for real menaces to society, not desperate housewives without a ciminal record

I totally agree with DocT. She should not see jail time. Let’s reserve jails for the truly violent and incorrigible. Considering her background, she’s probably already feeling a great deal of guilt and shame over this.

According to both this story and the one released by the Tribune, she has already repaid the money. Maybe some amount of restitution should be required as well, along with the stipulations the judge has already put on her about not being in charge of any publicly funded money.

She will also have to carry the felon label for the rest of her life, just as the judge decided—strongly doubt, considering the amount of the theft, that she will ever be able to shed the felony conviction. Being a felon automatically closes many doors to Ms. Gong and that should probably be punishment enough.
I applaud Judge Duffy for a common sense approach to sentencing. Gong is a first time criminal who did something reprehensible, but not threatening. She got what she deserved.

Punished as a thief? I’m 100% in favor of that.

Thieves steal. She should return what she stole, and the punishment should be she repays extra from what she stole.

The victims here are not the state, but the school boosters. How does “doing time” help her victims? Answer: it doesn’t.

But paying back in full plus 50% and having a felony record? That not only makes it right with the victims, but she also carries that conviction with her forever.

I don’t see how prison/jail helps anyone in this situation. But then I don’t get any joy from other’s hardship, so the punishment thing doesn’t work for me.

Violent crime is a very different story! A person convicted of a violent crime needs locked up.

I see, thanks. I tend to agree with you. Just under 4 years wouldn’t be out of the question in my mind PLUS complete restitution.

Enjoyed my -15 ranking “just for asking”! lol

You don’t relish the idea of punishing a thief whole stole money from a kids group? I hope she gets to be away from her family the entire 180 days. It’ll never happen but, she deserves to be punished as a thief and nothing less.

But she does NOT belong in jail. She should pay back every penny plus perhaps 40-50% more than she stole. Financial restitution is the correct remedy for financial theft/embezzlement.

People should not be put in prison unless they are a danger to the community.

She is not a physical threat to anyone and never was.

Punishment isn’t designed to make pundits and observers feel good….In cases of non-violent crime, punishment should first and foremost mean restoring what was taken from the victims.

She stole money. Replace the money and more. Carry a felony record, never get hired at any job that involves money ever again…..that’s the correct sentence.

Wasting time in jail does nothing to help the boosters, nothing to protect the community and only costs money that need not be spent! Leave her bed open for a rapist, or an aggravated assault criminal, or someone abusing children.

Not this. I know a lot of folks relish the idea of punishing people, but with this sort of crime, punishment doesn’t really help the victims at all. It does cost taxpayers, however.

Her actual jail conditions would make a great follow up article by Cal Coast News!
I too want to know if she spends her sentence in the same manner as the SLO building inspector.

According to a quick google search:

Class B felony. The value of the property is $25,000 or more. Penalties include a fine of up to $15,000, between five and 20 years in prison, or both. Embezzlement of property worth less than $950 is a misdemeanor, subjecting a defendant to a possible jail sentence of six months or less, and a fine of up to $1,000.

Since she could have gotten 52 months I believe, something around 75% of that seems a good place to start, 39 months, with a must serve of 90% before early release, not a special deal of 6 months. Which we all know will be reduced to maybe 2 months and after that again she will ask for the felony charges to be dropped.