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Cynthia Ann Smith, 60, the former owner of Cindy’s Flowers and Gifts in Menlo Park, has been ordered to pay more than $131,000 in restitution to various people and agencies, following a no contest plea to felony charges of insurance fraud and unemployment insurance fraud in August.
The plea came on the condition that she not serve time in state prison, and she was sentenced Oct. 19 to 90 days in county jail, starting on or after Dec. 16, and five years of supervised probation.
According to prosecutors, on Thursday, Nov. 30, she was ordered by Judge Barbara J. Mallach to pay restitution of $131,168 to the following:
● $61,783 to FTD Flowers, a floral and gifting company.
● $41,187 to the California Employment Development Department.
● $14,200 to James Waldschmidt, a former coworker.
● $13,998 to State Farm Workers Compensation.
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. Pay deductions for state and federal taxes were not being made, and she allegedly did not pay some employees at all.
Too bad she was a reliable florist for years in Menlo Park. But then everything went to hell in a hand basket. Fortunately, my credit card company reversed her changes when no products were delivered.
Get help Cindy!!!
Sad. I too used her services & remember her first shop in the parking lot next to the post office. Knew her parents, too.