SAN CARLOS — A former employee of a San Carlos-based nonprofit organization is accused of embezzling roughly $700,000 over a 13-year period, according to prosecutors.
On Thursday, Clarise Ann Blanchard, 76, of Foster City, pleaded not guilty to charges including embezzlement, forgery and identity theft, San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said.
An attorney for Blanchard did not immediately return a message seeking comment on the case.
Blanchard served as a clinical director at StarVista from 2002 until her retirement in 2022, according to prosecutors. The 57-year-old nonprofit organization provides counseling, case management, skill development and crisis prevention programs in the county.
After Blanchard retired, StarVista discovered a $50,000 donation had not been deposited into its bank account. Prosecutors said an audit revealed Blanchard had directed donations for the nonprofit organization into a bank account she set up at Chase Bank.
Around $700,000 was deposited into Blanchard’s account between 2009 and 2022, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors said the audit also uncovered thank you letters Blanchard sent to contributors with the forged signature of the nonprofit organization’s chief officer.
In a statement Thursday, StarVista said Blanchard “acted alone and independently.”
“Blanchard’s actions were in no way consistent with their job duties and were completely outside the scope of their employment at StarVista,” the nonprofit organization said. “(Blanchard) selfishly abused her influence to initiate and perpetuate multiple leaves of dishonesty.”
StarVista spokesperson Reese Walters noted that no service partner assets were misappropriated.
The criminal charges mark a fall from grace for Blanchard, who was inducted into the San Mateo County Women’s Hall of Fame in 2008.
At the time, Blanchard was lauded for helping create a program for mothers having difficulty moving from county assistance to self-sufficiency. She also helped develop a program for incarcerated girls and assisted in the merger of Family and Community Enrichment Services and Youth and Family Assistance to form Youth Family Enrichment Services, which later rebranded itself as StarVista.
“Clarise’s unshakeable faith in her clients has given hundreds of women in San Mateo County new hope and strength,” a biography on the Hall of Fame website said. “Her passion and creativity have changed lives and made our community a better place.”
The case was continued to Feb. 28 for a conference and to set a preliminary hearing, Wagstaffe said. Blanchard remains out of custody on a $700,000 bail bond.
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