Former Executive Dir. of Monterey Co. Bar Association under investigation for embezzlement

The Monterey County District Attorney is investigating embezzlement accusations against the former executive director of the County Bar Association.

The woman under investigation is Jennifer Dalton. Dalton is the current director of the non-profit Gathering for Women, but she’s now facing serious accusations from her former employer.

Dalton is accused of stealing more than $170,000 from the Monterey County Bar Association.

The accusations were outlined in the Monterey Weekly.

KION spoke to Bar Association President, Chuck Des Roches about the accusations. Des Roches said two years ago the bar hired an accountant who discovered the organization was in serious debt.

That lead to an audit by the board of directors which led to the bar dismissing Dalton as executive director.

KION reached out to Dalton for comment and hasn’t heard back from her yet.

On Wednesday, Gathering for Women released a statement that appeared to support Dalton saying, “the organization has taken steps to ensure its fiscal integrity and are actively overseeing all aspects of the organization.”

Des Roches said the bar association was able to stay afloat thanks to donations from law firms in the county. The district attorney’s office didn’t mentioned any charges related to the case, but said their investigation continues.