Embezzler Anna M. Naukam shows no remorse
former child advocate ordered to pay restitution and serve 15-year sentence
NOLAN CLAY and ANN KELLEY
Comments 
8
Published: September 5, 2009
An embezzler pleaded guilty Friday, but she never said in court she was sorry for stealing funds meant to help abused and neglected children.
Anna M. Naukam, former executive director of the
Oklahoma CASA Association, instead talked about herself when the judge pressed her to show remorse.
Multimedia
More Info
EFFECT ON CASA
The interim Oklahoma Court-Appointed Special Advocates Association executive director, Sheryl Marseilles, said the embezzlement case doesn’t appear to have damaged the group’s reputation. She said last month it received a grant from a local corporation and unexpected donations.
Attorney General Drew Edmondson said: "Instead of turning people away from CASA, I hope this case will inspire Oklahomans to stand up for the kids of their community and support their local CASA program with both their time and their money. I’ve worked with CASA volunteers and programs for years, and I fully support the organization and its mission.”
"It’s cost me,” she said, standing before the judge in handcuffs and orange jail clothes. "It’s been a very difficult thing to live with. I’m ready for it to be over.”
She was ordered to spend 15 years in prison, 20 years on probation and pay $549,024 in restitution. That punishment was the outcome of a plea agreement between her, her attorney and the prosecutor, Assistant Attorney General Joel-lyn McCormick.
CASA stands for Court Appointed Special Advocates. Volunteers speak out for children in family courts.
"There’s a lack of morality there. ... I’ve never seen her show any remorse,” McCormick said after the sentencing.
The judge also required her to pay $7,000 in fines and $6,705 to the state Crime Victims Compensation Fund.
"You brought this on yourself,”
Oklahoma County District Judge Kenneth Watson said.
The state multicounty grand jury indicted Naukam, 51, and her husband, Eugene M. Naukam III, 64, in August. They lived in Edmond.
She has been in jail since Aug. 20.
Grand jurors alleged the Naukams misused CASA credit cards to pay for their everyday expenses and such things as vacations in
Mexico, cosmetic breast surgery,
Texas Tech University football tickets,
Victoria’s Secret lingerie, a
Playboy magazine subscription, dental expenses, their son’s college tuition at the
University of Oklahoma, veterinarian bills, health club memberships and home remodeling.
Anna Naukam pleaded guilty to one conspiracy count and 148 embezzlement counts from the indictment. She was the executive director of the taxpayer-supported private association for almost 10 years before being fired in October.
Eugene Naukam, who was a special projects coordinator at CASA for a time, still faces one conspiracy count and 41 embezzlement counts. He is free on bail and was not in court Friday.
The judge asked Anna Naukam if she had any money now to pay toward the restitution.
"No, your honor,” Anna Naukam said.
Prosecutors earlier said there is no money in the couple’s bank accounts.
Anna Naukam said, after her release, she wants to work teaching the directors of different organizations how to look at their financial records "so they’re not taken advantage of by somebody like me.” During the investigation of her wrongdoing, she told state auditors, "I was very good at cooking the books.”
She must pay part of any income made after her release toward her restitution and can be sent back to prison if she refuses while on probation.
She told the judge she is bipolar and also suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. She said if she had known of her mental condition years ago she could have gotten medication and counseling and "my life would be different right now.”
"I’m not using this as an excuse, but I think it definitely had something to do with it,” she said.
As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors said they will not file additional charges against her.
State Auditor and Inspector Steve Burrage has said the audit revealed the couple actually misspent more than $650,000.
"I don’t think the punishment is harsh enough,” said
Jennifer Borsch of
Oklahoma City, a CASA supporter who came to the sentencing. "She stole from children and gave a black eye to an organization that does nothing but good. She should be behind bars a lot longer.”
Leave a Comment
News Photo Galleriesview all
Prev
Something to say about this topic? Submit a Letter to the Editor online
Thank you for joining our conversations on newsok. We encourage your discussions but ask that you stay within the bounds of our terms and conditions. Please help us by reporting comments that violate these guidelines. To review our rules of engagement, go to Commenting and posting policy.
Log in below or sign up (it's free).
Years ago after learning how to administer the MMPI, I got to got to go to a large federal prison and give the test to inmates. We all hear all the time on TV about physchopaths, but really there are very few of the out there, they are usually so bad at impulse control they just can't function. I only test one person who was a true physcopath, and he was a pretty scary individual indeed... glad they were locked up.
There are however tons of sociopaths in our world- and I trust the accessment of Childern First- these people are indeed only sorry they are caught, not for the actions themselves, and are always thinking about the next situation they will be able to manipulated to their own good.
She was not that grand a schemer, the board at Casa was trusting, and cheap, not wanting to pay for external audits. I have said this before and I will say it again, I know of two more non profits in the exact same boat right now- they need to hire external auditors and check their own structures, badly.
There are too many non profits that will appoint folks simply for the connections and juice and contributions they might bring to a board of directors, but not for the administrative skills they need to manage the organizations well.
This woman, she is off light in my book, I would prefer her chained to a ball at a minimum wage job earning restitution and then spending her nights in jail.