A former interim chief security officer for the Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association has been charged with stealing nearly $20,000 through a company he created while on the job and failing to report the conflict of interest under penalty of perjury.
Carmelo Marquez, 42, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to one felony count of grand theft, three felony counts of conflict of interest and two felony counts of perjury.
Marquez was initially hired as an independent contractor doing information security work for LACERA and was named interim chief security officer in February 2023. Prosecutors say he used his position to steer about $120,000 in public contracts to a company he secretly owned, profiting nearly $20,000 in the process.
According to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, Marquez failed to disclose the conflict on required ethics forms from the California Fair Political Practices Commission.
“Public service is meant to be a position of trust, not a way for people to enrich themselves through fraudulent actions,” District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a statement. “Our office will protect the public’s interest and hold those accountable who put their own greed ahead of their obligations to the people they serve.”
Marquez no longer works for LACERA and is also facing a civil lawsuit from the agency alleging fraud, breach of fiduciary duty and conflict of interest.
If convicted, he faces up to six years and eight months in state prison. He is due back in court on July 17 for a preliminary hearing setting.
The case remains under investigation by the District Attorney’s Bureau of Investigation.
