A former human resources manager at a Santa Clarita-based race car design and development company was sentenced to 51 months in federal prison Friday 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, according to officials.
At Friday’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,” according to officials.
Fernandez Adelugba pleaded guilty in August 2021 to one count of wire fraud.
The Stevenson Ranch woman 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, according to officials.
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, according to officials.
The Stevenson Ranch woman also had the authority to…
