Slain Millionaire’s Girlfriend to Stand Trial in Theft : Courts: Expert links woman to writing on numerous checks totaling $497,000. Defense says client was authorized to sign Newport Beach entrepreneur’s name.

The girlfriend of slain millionaire entrepreneur William F. McLaughlin was ordered Wednesday to stand trial on charges she stole nearly half a million dollars by forging his name on checks.

Nanette Anne Johnston, 29, faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted on one charge of grand theft and 15 counts of forgery. Johnston, who remains free on $250,000 bail, is to be arraigned Aug. 22 in Orange County Superior Court.

The action by Municipal Judge Richard F. Toohey came after a Newport Beach police handwriting expert testified that more than a dozen checks bearing McLaughlin’s name appeared to have been filled out and signed by Johnston.

Several of those checks--one for $250,000--were dated shortly before McLaughlin’s Dec. 15 slaying and cashed up to several weeks later.

“I would have to say the defendant penned those numbers,” said Charles Beswick, a fraud investigator for Fireman’s Fund Insurance Cos. and a reserve officer in the Newport Beach Police Department.

Beswick said he compared the checks in question with handwriting samples that Johnston was ordered to provide. The samples included her signing McLaughlin’s name.

McLaughlin, 55, died of six gunshot wounds to the chest. His son, Kevin, found the body at the Balboa Cove home the victim shared with Johnston. Police have named Johnston and another boyfriend, Erik Naposki, a 28-year-old former professional football player, as possible suspects, but no arrests have been made.

Johnston and Naposki have denied they had anything to do with the death.

Authorities allege that Johnston stole $497,000 by forging McLaughlin’s name on checks written to her and to a trust account she held. Only McLaughlin had the power to spend money from the source account, according to an accountant who testified at Tuesday’s preliminary hearing.

Newport Beach Detective William Hartford said police traced checks bearing suspicious-looking signatures to several bank accounts held by Johnston.

Johnston’s defense lawyer, Barry Bernstein, maintained during the hearing that Johnston was authorized to sign McLaughlin’s name on checks and other documents when he was unavailable. Bernstein also challenged Beswick’s conclusions, saying the allegedly forged signature on the $250,000 check did not match Johnston’s script.

“There doesn’t seem to be any correlation at all,” Bernstein said.

Beswick conceded the two signatures were not identical but said it was “highly probable” the check was signed by Johnston.

After the hearing, the victim’s sister, Jenny McLaughlin, said the family is pleased that Johnston will stand trial.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the family raised is reward for information in the slaying to $100,000--more than double its previous offer of $40,000.