After spending almost 3 years in jail and many legal delaying steps, a Yorba Linda wife and mother of two children, yesterday changed her plea to guilty to stealing more than $780,000 from the well known Santa Ana children’s charity. Tracy Lynn Salcido, 40, pleaded guilty to 206 felony counts of forgery, 20 felony counts of falsifying records, and sentencing enhancements for aggravated white collar crime over $500,000 and loss over $150,000 and $100,000. She was sentenced to 12 years in state prison and ordered to pay over $1,150,000 in restitution to cover her theft and attorney and accounting fees incurred by the foundation.

Salcido worked as the Chief Financial Officer for Orangewood Children's Foundation. The Orangewood Children’s Foundation, , which does not operate the county run Orangewood Children’s Home, provides a variety of financial and support services for needy foster and post-foster care children and young adults. Between March 1999 and July 2005, Salcido stole more than $780,000 from Orangewood by forging 206 checks from Orangewood's accounts to another business, United Retailer/United Convenience Stores.

In addition to working as CFO of Orangewood, Salcido worked as the primary accountant for United Retailer/United Convenience Stores, which was owned by her father-in-law. After illegally depositing Orangewood funds into the account of the other business, Salcido withdrew the money and used it for personal expenses. She attempted to hide her theft by underreporting donation revenue received by Orangewood and overstating the foundation's expenses.

The theft was uncovered in August 2005, when an Orangewood accounting supervisor discovered a forged check, which led to an audit of the foundation's finances.

Salcido was arrested on Feburary1, 2007 and has remained in custody since that date. According to Deputy District Attorney Marc Labreche of the Major Fraud Unit, who prosecuted the case, Salcido will probably end up serving a total of about 8 years in prison.

Labreche indicated that some of the money was used for “lifestyle enhancement” and that some might have gone to the purchase of a house. He said Salcido is married with two young teen children. These children have not had their mother for almost the last three years and must get along without her for 4 or 5 more years. Labreche said”It’s unfortunate that she did that to her children.”