FRESNO, Calif. \u2014 Suliana Caldwell, 46, of Fresno, was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison Monday for stealing over $1.8 million in public funds from the Fresno Arts Council (\u201cFAC\u201d), U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.<\/p>\n
According to court records, Caldwell was the FAC\u2019s operations manager from 2021 to February 2026. In this position, she managed the FAC\u2019s bank accounts, payroll, grants, donations, and general finances. Her duties also included providing periodic financial updates and reports to the executive director, board members, and the City and County of Fresno.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis defendant abused her position, betrayed the public\u2019s trust, and siphoned away over $1.8 million intended to support parks, trails, and the arts in Fresno,\u201d said U.S. Attorney Grant. \u201cShe lied and falsified financial reports in order to use taxpayer dollars to fund casino trips, vacations, and personal indulgences. Her actions undermined a community that believed in her. Today\u2019s sentence reflects our commitment to protecting public funds and holding accountable anyone who exploits her position for personal gain.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSuliana Caldwell betrayed the public\u2019s trust when she embezzled over $1.8 million from the Fresno Arts Council for personal use,\u201d said FBI Sacramento Acting Special Agent in Charge Brian Tosh. \u201cToday\u2019s sentencing underscores our commitment to investigating public corruption at every level. We encourage anyone with information on corruption to report it to the FBI so we can continue holding bad actors accountable and protecting community resources.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile it is disappointing that the community\u2019s trust was violated by the theft Caldwell committed, we are grateful that the Fresno Police Department\u2019s partnership with FBI investigators helped the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office to swiftly bring justice for the taxpayers in the City of Fresno,\u201d said Fresno Police Chief Mindy Casto.<\/p>\n
Beginning in 2022, Caldwell embezzled funds by making unauthorized withdrawals of money from the FAC\u2019s bank accounts. In 2023, after the Fresno City Council designated the FAC to administer its Measure P grant money, Caldwell significantly increased the amount of money she stole from the FAC\u2019s accounts and ultimately took more than $80,000 per month on average.\u00a0 Measure P is a tax initiative approved by Fresno voters in 2018 to provide funding for parks, trails, and the arts, among other things.<\/p>\n
Caldwell concealed her theft by using her position of trust as the operations manager to falsify financial reports, which omitted her theft and represented that there were significantly higher balances in the FAC\u2019s bank accounts than was true. She then presented the false reports to the FAC\u2019s executive director, board members, and others to trick them into believing everything was okay. Caldwell received an enhancement to her sentence because of this abuse of trust.<\/p>\n
In total, Caldwell stole over $1.8 million from the FAC. She then used the money to gamble at local casinos where she enjoyed various VIP statuses, pay for vacations, and for other improper personal expenses.<\/p>\n
The FAC detected Caldwell\u2019s theft in February 2026 when one of its checks bounced.\u00a0 Caldwell was subsequently fired and charged in this case.<\/p>\n
Listen to the report by KMJ\u2019s Liz Kern.<\/p>\n