Former Corona-Norco school official sentenced to two years in prison

A Riverside County judge on Friday sentenced Ted Rozzi, a former assistant superintendent of Corona-Norco Unified, to state prison on charges that he embezzled more than $1 million in money earmarked for school construction projects, according to the Press-Enterprise.

Rozzi, 62, was a 27-year employee of the district. He faced 31 felony counts of money laundering and other charges stemming from his time as facilities director from 2011 to 2017. According to the plea deal he reached with prosecutors, Rozzi would order a construction firm to shift money from one school project to another by depositing money into Rozzi’s personal account. As facilities director, he would approve the changes before anyone else saw them.

Several years’ worth of accounting audits did not uncover the embezzlement. It was discovered when an alert employee found a suspicious check and showed it to the Riverside County Sheriff’s department. The Riverside County Office of Education and a state agency, the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team, furthered the investigation, according to the newspaper.

The judge also ordered Rozzi to repay the stolen money.