Former leader of San Francisco nonprofit arrested for alleged misuse of taxpayer funds on parties, trips
Kyra Worthy is accused of embezzling $100,000 of SF SAFE funds meant for community outreach and crime prevention on personal expenses
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}After a months-long investigation, the former executive director of a now-defunct San Francisco nonprofit was arrested Tuesday on dozens of felony charges related to the alleged misuse of over $700,000 in public funds, the San Francisco District Attorney's Office said.
Kyra Worthy, a resident of Richmond, California, has been charged with misappropriation of public money, grand theft by embezzlement, submitting fraudulent invoices, wage theft and writing fraudulent checks while she was the head of SF SAFE, a 48-year-old nonprofit that aimed to enhance safety and crime prevention in San Francisco in partnership with the city police department, prosecutors said.
DA's office investigators determined an audit by the San Francisco Office of the Controller revealed Worthy misspent at least $80,000 in grant funds from the San Francisco Police Department on expenses such as luxury gift boxes, a Lake Tahoe trip, parking fees and permits and ride-hailing services.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The complaint also alleges Worthy spent nearly $56,000 of the nonprofit's funds on a holiday party.
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The head of SF SAFE, Kyra Worthy, center, was fired over her alleged misuse of funds for a San Francisco nonprofit that provided community outreach and crime prevention education. (KTVU)
David Gelman, a former prosecutor and CEO and founder of Gelman Law, told Fox News Digital there are several avenues the case could take.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"There are a couple of things here. There is the criminal aspect and if she has already been charged. If she has, I would not be surprised if the federal government got involved because she was taking money from different federal entities," Gelman said. "That's a whole different ballgame, and the consequences would be way more harsh if the feds take over."
Gelman said he believes Worthy was able to get away with embezzlement and fraud for so long because she was the executive director of the foundation and there was no accountability.
"She is the executive director, the head of this organization, and no one is overseeing that. And it's very shocking and just sad. There needs to be some oversight, a board. This is a total misuse of money and total gross incompetence," Gelman said.
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SF SAFE aimed to enhance safety and crime prevention in San Francisco through community organizing. (Getty Images)
Worthy, who was hired in 2018, allegedly stole and spent more than $100,000 of SF SAFE funds for her own personal use during her tenure with the nonprofit.
Gelman said what is unfortunate about this situation is charities and people who need the money suffer.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Charities and individuals who could have really benefited from this money didn't get it. They were all conned, they were duped in this fiasco. There are no winners here. It's a terrible situation all around," Gelman said.
Worthy's alleged theft and mismanagement led to her getting fired, and the nonprofit abruptly shut down in January 2024 with no assets.
Nicole Castronovo, a criminal defense attorney, also spoke with Fox News Digital and echoed Gelmen's feelings on this case.
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The San Francisco skyline from the city's Ina Coolbrith Park. (iStock)
"This was a well-established charity. The San Francisco Police Department even worked with them. It was a charity that had a lot of legitimacy, decades-long run and in a city like San Francisco that so badly needed these funds. It's just very sad to see this happen," Castronovo said.
A complaint alleges Worthy stopped paying payroll taxes for 27 employees from September 2023 to January 2024, when the nonprofit closed its doors. Over the course of four months, the alleged wage theft totaled about $80,000, prosecutors said. Worthy also received more than $500,000 in public dollars from the city's Office of Economic and Workforce Development and allegedly never paid it to employees of partner organizations.
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"One bad apple spoils it for everyone and, in the end, it's the people who really need the money getting hurt the most in all this. They are never going to get whole. These funds were supposed to go to good people. Good people donated these funds and, instead, all of it went to a crook, this con artist," Gelman said.
The DA said the investigation is ongoing, and anyone with information is urged to contact the Public Integrity Task Force tip line at 628-652-4444.