Former office manager of Santa Ana business charged with embezzling nearly $353,000

SANTA ANA — A woman accused of embezzling nearly $353,000 over six years as the office manager of a small business in Santa Ana made her initial court appearance Wednesday, Feb. 27, on dozens of felony charges.

Martha Jean Czerkawski, 56, was charged Monday with 109 felony counts of possession of checks with the intent to defraud, with sentencing enhancement allegations of aggravated white-collar crime between $100,000 and $500,000, according to court records. Czerkawski was arrested on a warrant Tuesday at her home in Orange.

She is accused of cashing 109 checks worth a total of $352,997.33 over six years, a Santa Ana police detective says in court papers.

Czerkawski worked at J. Miller Canvas Inc. for 10 years. The last six years, she was in charge of accounts receivable, payable and payroll, according to police, who allege the embezzlement happened between 2014 and 2017.

Czerkawski’s arraignment was rescheduled for March 15 in the jail courtroom in Santa Ana.