Johanna Ulloa Giron Arrested, Accused Of Using Library Credit Card To Buy Designer Shoes, Vacation Expenses
FORT COLLINS, Colo. (CBS4)- A former employee of the Poudre River Public Library in Fort Collins has been arrested, accused of using her work credit card for more than $110,000 in personal purchases like designer shoes and vacation expenses. Johanna Ulloa Giron, 42, resigned her position as the outreach services manager in March 2021.
At the end of 2020, the Poudre River Public Library District conducted an audit of staff purchases for the previous year. Employees were instructed to reconcile any missing receipts by Jan. 1, 2021. Ulloa Giron did not complete the process which prompted additional investigation.
Staff initially identified $9,841.62 in personal purchases, which Ulloa Giron agreed to pay back. Library staff began an internal investigation to review her expenses from previous years. In April 2021, they contacted Fort Collins Police to report additional unauthorized purchases, like designer shoes, women's clothing, cosmetics, personal electronics, vacation-related expenses, home goods, furniture, and toys shipped to Ulloa Giron's house.
In addition to those receipts, investigators determined that several receipts had been intentionally altered to change purchase details. Police conducted a 13-month investigation into the 2,224 purchases made on Ulloa Giron's library procurement card between 2016 and 2020. They identified 1,267 unauthorized purchases totaling $110,464.59.
Ulloa Giron was booked into the Larimer County Jail on several charges including theft, unauthorized use of a financial transaction device, cybercrime and forgery.
"Our human resources team uncovered significant violations of library policy, and they took immediate action to ensure accountability," said Diane Lapierre, Executive Director of the Poudre River Public Library District in a statement. "Libraries are a cornerstone of the community and a lifeline to information, education, and enjoyment for people of all ages and life circumstances. We remain committed to serving this mission and to improving the social, economic, educational, and cultural vitality of the people that we serve."
Anyone with additional information about this case may contact Detective Allen Benbow at 970-416-2180.
"This money was intended to support kids in our community," said Chief Jeff Swoboda in a statement. "Resources for such programming are already scarce, and using them for personal gain shows a troubling disregard for the families who should have benefited from these funds."
