Sierra Vista VFW Post Theft Will Net Probation For Former Employee

Crystal Vargas [Photo courtesy Cochise County Sheriff's Office

A former employer of the Currieo VFW Post 9972 in Sierra Vista will be sentenced Jan. 11, 2021 after pleading guilty to felony theft through unauthorized use of the organization’s credit card.

Crystal Vargas, 43, was originally charged in September with three felonies related to the theft of between $4,000 and $25,000 of Post 9972 funds from June 2018 to June 2019. She was in court Dec. 2 for an early resolution hearing as part of a program to quickly adjudicate low level felony cases.

As Vargas stood before Judge James Conlogue, she entered a guilty plea to theft with a value less than two thousand dollars, a Class 6 felony. The plea agreement stipulates she will be placed on probation in lieu of incarceration, with the period of supervision to be decided by a judge.

A future hearing will be conducted to determine how much restitution Vargas must pay to Post 9972. The amount will not be capped by what she pleaded guilty to stealing, according to the plea agreement.

Court records show Vargas’ actions came to light last year after money went missing from the Arizona Lottery machine located at Post 9972, the largest in Arizona. The Sierra Vista Police Department opened an investigation which included an audit of the Post’s credit card.

Vargas pleaded guilty to a Class 6 undesignated felony. That means she can ask in the future to have the felony conviction designated as a misdemeanor.

“If the charge is referred to as an undesignated felony, the charge shall not be eligible to be designated as a misdemeanor unless and until the Defendant has successfully completed probation and the Adult Probation Department recommends designation as a misdemeanor,” the plea agreement states.