Former employee sentenced for embezzling SARA funds

On Monday, Damon Watson started a new job.

On Tuesday, he went to jail for embezzling from a previous employer.

Watson, 26, has started serving an active sentence of 60 days in jail and will pay $21,301.72 in restitution to the Sexual Assault Resource Agency within the next 30 days. The former SARA administrative assistant pleaded guilty Tuesday to two counts of embezzlement in Albemarle County Circuit Court as part of a plea agreement.

Addressing the court before sentencing, Watson got choked up as he apologized to SARA and his family.

“I’m a good guy,” Watson said. “I made a mistake and got caught up in the mistake. I didn’t mean to jeopardize the services of SARA or the integrity of my family.”

Nathan J.D. Veldhuis, an attorney representing SARA, said that restitution was a big concern for the agency.

“This was a violation of trust,” Veldhuis said. “Fortunately, SARA was still able to provide all of its services, but this money does affect that.”

From October 2007 to June 2008, Watson picked up mail, kept records and made purchases for SARA. Walker Thornton, the agency’s director, previously testified that she considered Watson a good employee who was being considered for a promotion.

All that changed when she found some receipts for unauthorized purchases on SARA’s cards, such as a 32-inch LCD television bought with a Staples card. After doing more searching, the agency discovered that Watson had modified payroll sheets in his favor and covered up his purchases of gift cards and other items by paying for them with an online bank account. In all, authorities said Watson spent $21,301.72 of SARA’s money, or about 5 percent of its budget.

The two embezzlement counts to which Watson pleaded guilty represented purchases in both Albemarle and Charlottesville. Watson opted to have both charges handled in one court.

Watson was fired in early June after Thornton discovered the purchases. A handful of local groups have held fundraisers to help the agency recover from the theft, but Thornton said Tuesday that getting the whole sum back will make the agency feel whole once again. The embezzled money came out of SARA’s general fund, where it keeps its cash raised by the community and its gala.

Under the plea agreement, Watson was sentenced to 20 years in prison on each charge with all but 30 days suspended on each count. Attorneys said Watson’s family would be paying his restitution. If it isn’t paid by the 30-day deadline, Circuit Judge Paul M. Peatross Jr. said in court that Watson would have to serve the remainder of the prison sentences.

Peatross also sentenced Watson to two years of supervised probation and 40 years of good behavior. As part of the plea agreement, Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Darby Lowe said in court that she would not prosecute a credit card fraud charge pending against Watson in this case.

After he gets out of jail, Watson will be evaluated to see what kind of help he needs while on probation. Lowe said his treatment will involve evidence-based practices, or a set of research-backed mental or behavioral interventions that address the reasons behind the crime.

In Watson’s case, his reasons were financial.

“It is a spending issue, not a substance issue,” Lowe said in court.

Defense attorney Jessica Smith said she thought the outcome of her client’s case was fair. Prior to this case, Watson didn’t have a criminal record.

“He is really not a menace to this community,” Smith said. “ … He just got caught up in [this].”