The United States Attorney's Office
District of Idaho

News Release

FORMER CASA DIRECTOR SENTENCED FOR FRAUD

The former executive director of the First Judicial District Court Appointed Special Advocates program (CASA) was sentenced today to five years probation for embezzling from the agency.

Rhonda Naylor, 54, of Hillsboro, Oregon, formerly of Coeur d’Alene, was sentenced this afternoon by Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill at the federal courthouse in Coeur d’Alene. Naylor, who is also known as Rhonda Richardson, was ordered to serve six months of home detention, perform 80 hours of community service, make a public apology, and pay restitution in the amount of 5,258.17

In sentencing Naylor, Judge Winmill said he came close to sending her to jail. “But for the needs of Ms. Richardson’s child, the court would have imposed a period of five months incarceration,” he said.

Naylor was convicted in November of last year after a four day trial on 17 counts of wire fraud and one count of making a false statement in connection with the investigation.

CASA is a statewide program which trains volunteers to provide Guardian ad Litem services to abused and neglected children. The First District program was established in 1990. Richardson first became involved as a volunteer in 1997. In 1998 she was hired as volunteer coordinator, and in June 2003 was appointed executive director.

As executive director, Naylor supervised four fulltime employees, oversaw the volunteer program and was responsible for the agency’s budget. Without the approval of the CASA Board of Directors, Naylor obtained a debit card with Washington Trust Bank, which she used numerous times to make personal purchases, including airline tickets, shoes, cosmetics and jewelry. On one occasion she used CASA funds to buy plane tickets for her daughter, son-inlaw and granddaughter to travel from Portland to Spokane.

“Our CASA Program has processes in place to prevent it from being victimized again,” said current Executive Director Hiedi Person. “The greatest victims here are the neglected and abused children, the volunteers and staff who serve them and the community who has supported them. Trusts were violated. It is our hope that today provides closure to everyone involved either directly or indirectly and we can move on, because ultimately it is about our children.”