3 Charged in Embezzlement at L.A. Museum

The chief deputy director of the Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History and two others were charged Wednesday in the embezzlement of $2.1 million from the museum and its affiliated nonprofit foundation--money used on a spending spree of pricey cars, jewelry and the payment of personal debts, authorities said.

Over a five-year period, Marcus Arthur Rodriguez, with the help of a former secretary and the foundation’s former chief accountant, skimmed funds from county money, museum ticket sales and private donations, prosecutors said.

Rodriguez--who still collects a $92,500-a-year county paycheck despite having been on administrative leave since February as the result of the criminal investigation--allegedly used the money to purchase three cars for himself and family members. He also bought personal presents such as jewelry for several friends, paid off thousands of dollars in monthly credit card bills and paid the tax debt of an unnamed relative, authorities said.

Rodriguez, 53, was arrested outside his Glendale home Wednesday on charges including grand theft, misuse of public money, money laundering and conspiracy. He was in custody in lieu of $2-million bail, pending arraignment today in Los Angeles Municipal Court. If convicted, he faces a maximum 12-year prison sentence.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Allen Field, head of the district attorney’s office special investigations division, said Rodriguez had responsibility for both the museum foundation and a satellite facility, the George C. Page Museum in the Mid-Wilshire district.

“He took [that power] and gleefully ran with it,� Field said. “You had two organizations here and only one person looking over the purse strings, a person in whom they [museum officials] had extreme confidence. He had control over the books and no one was looking over his shoulder. And that’s a perfect recipe for theft.�

The irregularities surfaced late last year, seven months after James L. Powell, new director of the 80-year-old institution, noticed discrepancies in financial statements during an attempt to revamp the museum’s management and operating procedures.

“We discovered we could not reconcile the county’s books with the foundation’s books,� he said. The museum operations are underwritten by county funds and money raised by a foundation set up specifically for the Natural History Museum, Powell said.

The Exposition Park museum’s diverse collection, including everything from Navajo rugs to the bones of saber-toothed cats, has earned it a national reputation. However, it has been plagued by internal turmoil and county budget cuts.

Also charged Wednesday were Marissa Meroney, 41, of Chino Hills, the former chief financial officer for the Museum of Natural History Foundation, and Cristina Elizabeth Coleman, 41, Rodriguez’s former secretary.

Coleman, charged with one count of grand theft and four counts of receiving stolen property, was arrested at a county Department of Beaches and Harbors facility in Marina del Rey, where she is a secretary. She is scheduled for arraignment today and is being held in lieu of $50,000. Bail for Meroney, who was still at large late Wednesday, was recommended by prosecutors at $600,000.

If convicted, the women face prison terms of up to three years each.

Rodriguez, Coleman, Meroney and their attorneys could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

Investigators said their probe was continuing into the theft and money-laundering scheme and refused to rule out further arrests.

Field said the case was filed after search warrants were served Feb. 24 on the Exposition Park museum and the Page museum.

“The museum came to us with suspicions that a theft had taken place,� Field said. “Their audit found that Mr. Rodriguez apparently opened accounts in the museum’s name without their consent and had been depositing large sums of money into those accounts.�

Between July, 1988, and May, 1994, investigators say, Rodriguez reportedly channeled both museum and foundation funds into investment accounts in either his or Meroney’s name under his authority to receive money and pay bills in the name of the museum.

Prosecutors contend that Rodriguez wrote cashier’s checks made out to Coleman, who was his secretary until 1992. But Field said Wednesday that the women’s role in the scheme was still under investigation.

Investigators served search warrants on several travel agencies and banks in piecing together the money trail, he said. “Success breeds brazenness,� Field said. “As he got away with the scam, the amounts apparently got larger and larger.�

Los Angeles County supervisors reacted with shock Wednesday to the charges.

“It is an embarrassment to the county, the public, to the museum and to its many hard-working and honest employees,� said Supervisor Deane Dana. “If these charges are substantiated in court, I will definitely demand that every cent stolen from the museum be returned as part of any sentence imposed. We cannot have anyone rewarded for violating the law and the public trust.�