The former treasurer for Santa Cruz County, Elizabeth Gutfahr, was sentenced this week to 10 years in prison for stealing almost $40 million in county funds.
According to a press release from the U.S. District Attorney’s Office for Arizona, Gutfahr previously pleaded guilty to embezzlement, money laundering and tax evasion.
Gufahr served as county treasurer from 2012 through 2024.
She was accused of laundering $38.7 million by wiring public funds from Santa Cruz County to accounts in the names of fake companies she had created.
The attorney’s office says Gutfahr falsified records and reports of the county’s investment accounts.
She was ordered to pay approximately $52 million in restitution to the U.S. Treasury and Santa Cruz County.
Liz Gutfahr, former treasurer of Santa Cruz County, recently pleaded guilty to stealing more than $38.7 million in public funds and waived her right to a trial. Daisy Zavala Magaña of the Nogales International joined The Show to talk about what happened.
