Bookkeeper gets two years for stealing company’s money

A bookkeeper for a Newport Beach architectural firm was sentenced to two years in prison Monday for stealing more than $150,000 from the company.

Suzanne Denise Baumann, 41, of Anaheim Hills was convicted in August of grand theft, second-degree commercial burglary and forgery.

Some time after starting her job with Scheurer Architects, Baumann began using company credit cards for personal purchases.

She rang up $115,700 in unauthorized purchases and stole more than $44,000 from the company’s bank account to pay down her personal credit card. She also spent company money for traveling, concerts and online shopping.

Company officials caught on when an employee noticed a missing check she had made payable to herself in May 2010, prosecutors said.

A company audit showed more discrepancies, so company officials alerted the police. Baumann was arrested in December.

— Joseph Serna

Twitter: @josephserna