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Petaluma woman arrested for embezzlement at Marin business

Published: Wednesday, Nov 14, 2007

A Petaluma woman was arrested Tuesday for allegedly embezzling more than $400,000 from a Corte Madera car dealership.

Shannon Louise Tallchief, 39, was arrested by Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department personnel at her residence on Tuesday for stealing the money from Marin Acura over a three-year period. She was taken to Marin County Jail, where her bail was set at $450,000.

An arraignment is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 14. If convicted of the charges, she could face up to five years in prison.

Tallchief started working at the dealership in 1992, and was in charge of payroll, accounting and cash transactions. Last year, a substitute bookkeeper filling in for Tallchief discovered that the money was missing.

Investigators subsequently found that Tallchief had embezzled over $439,000 by taking cash; giving herself payroll advances that weren’t paid back; receiving excessive bonuses; transferring money from Marin Acura’s account into her personal account by using the dealership’s checking account to make payments on her personal accounts; and issuing unauthorized checks to herself.

Tallchief used the money to pay bills and make purchases, said Deputy District Attorney Linda Wiltong.

Claiming she had “an addiction,” Tallchief acknowledged the thefts in correspondence with Marin Acura. She apologized for her behavior, and asked for forgiveness.

After the discovery, Tallchief was fired, and sold her home in Rohnert Park for $770,000. She then sent Marin Acura a check for $25,000.