The former CEO of a San Francisco charity for the homeless has been accused of embezzling over $1.2million to fund her lavish lifestyle, prosecutors say.
Gwendolyn Westbrook, who was CEO of United Council of Human Services (UCHS), faces charges including grand theft, misappropriation of public funds, and filing false tax returns for four years.
The organization received millions in government grants in the past two decades. Prosecutors accuse the 71-year-old of misappropriating funds between 2019 and 2023.
Westbrook is also accused of stealing $91,000 from the UCHS, while additional large sums missing from the organization remain unaccounted for, according to the San Francisco Standard.
Westbrook was booked into jail on nine charges on February 20 and was released on bail, District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said in a news conference.
She was originally scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday at the Hall of Justice, but at the former chief executive’s request, the judge postponed the arraignment to March 9.
‘You’re talking about millions of dollars being lost to that effort, our taxpayer dollars, while every day we sit and deal with people who are still struggling on our streets,’ Jenkins said.
Westbrook’s organization ran a soup kitchen and shelters for the homeless for nearly 20 years before her dismissal in 2023.
Gwendolyn Westbrook, 71, who was CEO of United Council of Human Services (UCHS), faces nine felony charges including grand theft, misappropriation of public funds, and filing false tax returns for four years
Westbrook’s former organization received millions in government grants in the past two decades. She organized a soup kitchen and shelters for the homeless for nearly two decades before her dismissal in 2023
A former UCHS employee accused Westbrook in a lawsuit in the same year of her dismissal of misusing funds and ‘living a lifestyle inconsistent with her reported salary,’ which was $155,000 annually, according to the Standard.
Westbrook allegedly bragged to staff about purchasing fancy cars, such as a Tesla for herself, a Jeep Renegade for a close family friend, and two vehicles for cousins, according to the filing.
The lawsuit added that she told a niece she also has an Infiniti SUV and claimed she drove around with ‘a trunk full of high-priced jewelry.’
Additionally, the court document stated that Westbrook used funds to pay for family members’ weddings and in vitro fertilization procedures for a relative.
Westbrook was also accused in 1997 of stealing thousands of dollars from a cash box at a parking lot owned by the San Francisco Port, her employer at the time, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
The outlet also noted that in 2015, regulators found unsanctioned blackjack tables at a charity bingo hall organized by the nonprofit.
She was accused in a lawsuit in 2023 of misusing funds and ‘living a lifestyle inconsistent with her reported salary,’ which was $155,000 annually. Westbrook allegedly bragged to staff about purchasing fancy cars, such as a Tesla for herself, a Jeep Renegade for a close family friend, and two vehicles for cousins, according to the filing
In 2022, after an audit by then-city controller Ben Rosenfield revealed fraud at UCHS, Rosenfield and City Attorney David Chiu requested that the FBI and the DA’s office launch a criminal investigation, according to the Standard (UCHS Headquarters Pictured)
In 2022, after an audit by then-city controller Ben Rosenfield revealed fraud at UCHS, Rosenfield and City Attorney David Chiu requested that the FBI and the DA’s office launch a criminal investigation, according to the Standard.
According to court records, the district attorney’s office began its thorough investigation last year, using more than 20 search warrants and extensively reviewing financial records.
‘Gwendolyn Westbrook enriched herself and misused millions in public funds meant to help the community,’ Chiu said.
‘We are grateful the district attorney accepted our referral, and the White Collar Crime Division conducted a thorough investigation leading to these charges.’
Gwendolyn Westbrook or her attorney could not be reached for comment.
