PASADENA, Texas – The financial director of the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce has been accused of embezzling $1.6 million over the past five years and spending the money on lavish trips and plastic surgery, according to court documents.
Jamie Huffar, 46, is facing the following charges: False statement to obtain credit; fraudulent use or possession of identifying information; misapplication of fiduciary property or property of financial institution crime; and two counts of forgery financial instrument.
According to charging documents, on April 28, 2022, Huffar obtained a loan in the Chamber of Commerce president’s name of at least $30,000 and less than $150,000.
Documents also state that on July 23, 2021, she also forged signatures to obtain money of at least $300,000.
“She stole from the chamber for years in many separate fashions,” said prosecutor Mike Levine. “We think the grand total of her thefts is going to be well over a million dollars, and some parts of the investigation are still ongoing but we’ve seen concrete, convincing evidence linking her to at least a million dollars in theft so far.”
Lawsuit filed
According to a lawsuit filed by the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce, Huffar used her position to defraud the commerce in several ways, including opening credit cards in the company’s name, taking out loans and redirecting the funds into her personal accounts.
The lawsuit also alleges two loans were taken out with Intria Ventures, LLC. It is believed that Huffar and Itria conspired together to take out the loans in the company’s name, causing monetary damages.
In one of the crimes, Huffar is accused of taking all the proceeds from the Taste of Pasadena event, according to prosecutors.
The Pasadena Chamber of Commerce Corporate claims it has suffered actual damages, economic damages and attorney fees.
Huffar has denied all allegations.
Bond set
During Monday’s court appearance, prosecutors said the fraud has been ongoing for over five years. They claimed Huffar has traveled internationally to Budapest, Hungary’s capital, among other places. Prosecutors asked the judge to grant a $1 million bond for each charge.
The defense team asked the court to set a $20,000 personal recognizance bond on each case since Huffar is currently living with her parents and currently not working.
The judge set Huffar’s bond at $250,000 for each charge, totaling her bond amount to $1,250,000.