LOS ANGELES – The former human resources manager at a Santa Clarita-based race car design and development company was sentenced today to 51 months in federal prison for scheming to defraud her then-employer out of more than $1.7 million earmarked for diversity recruitment by using two fake businesses that billed for services that were never performed.
Judith Fernandez-Adelugba, 45, of Stevenson Ranch, was sentenced by United States District Judge John F. Walter, who also ordered her to pay $1,745,964 in restitution. At today’s hearing, Judge Walter said Fernandez-Adelugba was “driven by pure greed” and that her criminal conduct had left her employer “shaken to the core.”
Fernandez-Adelugba pleaded guilty in August 2021 to one count of wire fraud. She worked as the chief human resources manager at a business identified in court documents as “Company-1,” a Santa Clarita-based company that provided a technical and operations center for high performance racing programs and specialized in the design and development of high-performance automotive parts.
Fernandez-Adelugba was responsible for the company’s diversity recruitment, which included implementing and managing programs to encourage persons from diverse gender, racial, ethnic, and other backgrounds to apply for jobs with her employer. She also had the authority to approve the payment of invoices of up to…
