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A 60-year-old Menlo Park woman who owned and operated Cindy’s Flowers and Gifts in Menlo Park has pleaded no contest to two felonies: insurance fraud and unemployment insurance fraud on the condition that she not serve time in state prison.
The woman, Cynthia Smith, is expected to be sentenced to 90 days in county jail.
Ms. Smith’s shop was searched by Menlo Park police in November 2012. The search came after a year-long investigation of workers’ compensation fraud and violations of state business regulations.
According to prosecutors, Ms. Smith was paying her employees under the table in cash and failed to renew her workers’ compensation insurance policy, which was canceled because the premiums were not paid. She also allegedly was not paying some employees at all, and pay deductions for state and federal taxes were not being made.
The felonies may be eligible to be reduced to misdemeanors when full restitution is made.
The case has been continued to Oct. 19 for the imposition of Ms. Smith’s sentence and the report for how much restitution she will have to pay.
She remains out of custody on a $20,000 bail bond.
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I’m surprised this scam was allowed to go on as long as it did. It was searched in 2012, yet many bad reviews posted in 2016.
This is an interesting unfolding story that people are having fun speaking negatively about. The facts and entire story has not been completed, well, according to your article more will happen in October. Question? Do we live in the United States of America where we are presumed innocent until found guilty? And the court decides the facts? Or we are guilty and judgement is passed by an opinion written by a reporter “She is expected to….”? Is this truly reporting when a reporter and a newspaper can project the future as fact? Let’s withhold the urge to judge. Let’s be Americans and be inclusive, not bullies …
@Small Business Owner – pleading no contest is the same as being found guilty. What they will determine in October is how big was the crime (dollar amount).
Small Business Owner,
Not sure we read the same story. It starts off with “A 60-year-old Menlo Park woman who owned and operated Cindy’s Flowers and Gifts in Menlo Park has pleaded no contest to two felonies: insurance fraud and unemployment insurance fraud on the condition that she not serve time in state prison.”
She please No Contest, that is in the past and is a fact. No Contest means Guilty, there was a presumption of innocence up to that point she plead No Contest, after that she is guilty of a crime. The presumes sentence of 90 days is based on the deal, it is presumed because it has not happened yer and the Judge can change the sentence as he/she seems fit.
In light of your comments you might want to read the story again.