COUNTYWIDE : Official Says Ely Did Not Repay Expenses

A Ventura County Community College District official who oversees expense accounts testified Monday that Trustee James (Tom) Ely never wrote a check to reimburse the district for travel expenses of his wife, Ingrid, that he charged on a district credit card.

“As soon as they returned from the trips, they were supposed to reimburse the district immediately,” said Barbara Buttner, executive assistant to the chancellor of the district. “I can’t ever remember getting a personal check from Tom Ely for Ingrid.”

Buttner also testified in Ventura County Superior Court on Monday that she never questioned Ely about his or Ingrid’s expenses because he is a trustee.

This is the third week of the Elys’ conspiracy and embezzlement trial. The couple is charged with conspiring to steal more than $15,000 in district funds by padding district expense accounts between April, 1988, and January, 1990.

If convicted, Tom Ely could spend up to six years in prison and Ingrid Ely up to three years in prison.

Also Monday, Moorpark College President Stanley L. Bowers testified that he approved cash advances for Ingrid without knowing that her travel expenses had been placed on Tom Ely’s district-issued American Express card, as contended by prosecutors.

Buttner is expected to take the stand this morning for cross-examination when the trial resumes in Judge Lawrence Storch’s courtroom.