A 71-year-old woman who previously led a San Francisco nonprofit organization dedicated to helping homeless individuals will appear in court Tuesday to face nine felony counts related to the alleged theft of more than $1.2 million in taxpayer money.
Gwendolyn Westbrook is accused of taking funds from the United Council for Human Services during her time as CEO, when she maintained almost complete authority over the organization’s finances, according to Monday’s announcement from San Francisco’s district attorney’s office.
“Prosecutors allege that between 2019 and 2023, Ms. Westbrook engaged in unauthorized self-payments, improper cash withdrawals, and fraudulent reimbursement practices that diverted public funds for personal use,” the statement said.
The charges against Westbrook include misappropriation of public funds, grand theft and filing false California tax returns. Her court appearance is set for Tuesday afternoon.
Attempts to reach Westbrook and the United Council for Human Services for response to the allegations were unsuccessful. No legal representation for Westbrook has been identified.
According to reporting by the San Francisco Chronicle, these charges add to a pattern of legal issues involving both Westbrook and her organization. In 1997, she faced accusations of taking thousands of dollars from a cash collection at a parking facility operated by the San Francisco Port, where she worked at the time. Additionally, in 2015, officials discovered unauthorized gambling equipment at a charity bingo facility operated by the nonprofit.
Court filings from this month detail allegations that Westbrook purchased expensive cars and made transactions at upscale stores including Louis Vuitton and Neiman Marcus using the charity’s funds. She headed the organization, which operated a food service program and received millions in municipal contracts to provide shelter services, for almost twenty years until her termination in 2023.
Similar charges have emerged in Los Angeles, where another homeless services nonprofit leader faces both federal and state fraud allegations involving $23 million in public money. Alexander Soofer, CEO of Abundant Blessings, allegedly used taxpayer funds to purchase a $7 million Los Angeles residence, property in Greece, and a $125,000 Range Rover, according to federal prosecutors.
Soofer has been charged federally with wire fraud, while state charges include felony counts of conflict of interest, offering false evidence and forgery.
