Charges shock arts center officials

Orange County Performing Arts Center employees and patrons reacted

with shock and disappointment a day after a former arts center

employee appeared in court on charges that she embezzled more than $1

million from the arts center over the past five years.

“I don’t know how you could not be surprised,” said Todd Bentjen,

the center’s vice president of marketing and communications. “In a

situation like this, you have to take everything seriously.”

Ana Limbaring, 53, was arrested by the Costa Mesa Police on Monday

following an investigation by the arts center. She is charged with 29

felony counts of grand theft and computer fraud, according to a

complaint filed by the Orange County district attorney’s office

Tuesday.

She is scheduled to be arraigned today at the Harbor Justice

Center in Newport Beach.

Limbaring worked in the accounts receivable department and was

fired this week after a more than 10-year career at the performing

arts center, Bentjen said.

Because the investigation is ongoing, Bentjen said he is unable to

comment on matters pertaining to Limbaring. Performing Arts Center

interim president Judith O’Dea Morr and chairman of the board Mike

Gordon did not return calls for comment.

Word of the criminal investigation slowly reached Newport-Mesa

residents who donate to performing arts center causes.

Newport Beach resident Nora Jorgensen-Johnson, who regularly

supports the arts center, said she was shocked to hear the news.

“When you give money, you expect it to go to the right place and

for there not to be a problem,” Jorgensen-Johnson said.

Bentjen said the money was stolen out of the center’s cash

accounts, not from a capital campaign fund. The performing arts

center is in a process of raising $200 million to fund the new Renee

and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall and Samueli Theater, scheduled to

open next September. The center has raised $128.4 million, and the

new arts complex is 70% complete, Gordon said last week.

Eve Kornyei, a Corona del Mar resident involved in center support

group Center Stars, said she is upset to hear of the alleged

financial setback.

“Everyone works so hard to raise funds,” she said. “It’s an

unfortunate incident. But it’s going to take a lot more than that for

me to lose faith.”

She said the recent news wouldn’t deter her and her companion,

Stanley Hanson, from giving to the center.

“I hope that it won’t affect fundraising,” Kornyei said. “I don’t

think it will.”

Jorgensen-Johnson agreed that she doesn’t expect charges against

the former employee to lead to a fundraising slump.

She said she is angry to hear of the charges but not surprised to

hear the news. When Jorgensen-Johnson and her husband owned a

hardware business in Newport Beach, they found that an employee had

stolen from their accounts, she said.

“It’s human nature,” Jorgensen-Johnson said. “This happens to

businesses. The same shock that we felt is what they must be feeling

at OCPAC.”

Jorgensen-Johnson said she has talked to other donors who are

disappointed that this happened.

Bentjen said he understands the concern and said the center “will

do everything necessary to put stricter measures in place” to avoid

future problems.

The center is cooperating with the Costa Mesa Police Department

and the district attorney’s office on the investigation.

Bentjen said the nonprofit arts center has an employee theft

policy. He said he doesn’t expect day-to-day operations to be

affected.

* ELIA POWERS is the enterprise and general assignment reporter.

He may be reached at (714) 966-4623 or by e-mail at

o7elia.powers@latimes.comf7.