SAN DIEGO – A former loan officer at San Diego County CU who drained as much as $90,000 from a friend's accounts, jeopardizing the friend’s experimental cancer treatment, was sentenced Tuesday to a year in county jail.
Denise Ramirez, 29, helped
Pappas, 38, who underwent conventional cancer treatment and was given little hope for survival, then went for treatment in Houston after doctors there offered her a chance to participate in an unfunded clinical trial.
Through friends and co-workers, Papeas raised more than $300,000 for the treatment and underwent a trial stem-cell transplant in January. The treatment was delayed at one point when her credit was denied because Ramirez used her stolen credit cards to travel on Carnival Cruise Lines and take trips to New York and Colorado. Ramirez also used the stolen funds to buy airline tickets, cruise tickets, meals and a subscription to eHarmony.com, an Internet dating site, according to prosecutors.
Ramirez was arrested on Sept. 25 and in October admitted to stealing an estimated $80,000 to $90,000, according to the San Diego District Attorney's Office. She also pleaded guilty to identity theft. As part of the sentencing, Ramirez was also ordered to pay restitution in monthly installments of $800.
