Matthew Anderson, Embezzlement, California 2020

San Diego, California - In a shocking case of embezzlement, former San Diego Zoo biologist Matthew John Anderson has been sentenced to six months in prison for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the esteemed institution.

According to a recent press release, Anderson, 50, pleaded guilty to a theft charge in March, admitting to creating dozens of fake invoices and submitting them to the zoo for payment for products never purchased or received. The zoo paid these invoices, in some cases, sending money to accounts controlled by Anderson, and in others by sending payments to third parties who kicked back the bulk of the payments to Anderson.

Over the course of eight years of fraud, Anderson caused the zoo to suffer a total loss of $236,682.86. In imposing sentence, Chief U.S. District Judge Larry A. Burns noted that Mr. Anderson not only abused a position of trust, but that he did so “over the long haul” and that this was not a case of one discreet lapse of judgment.

Anderson worked for the zoo for more than 17 years, starting as a research fellow and ultimately serving as the Director of Behavioral Biology for the zoo’s Institute for Conservation Research until the zoo terminated his employment in late 2017. A citizen of the United Kingdom, Anderson faces likely deportation as a consequence of his sentence.

“For years, this defendant took advantage of the trust of one of our city’s most beloved institutions,” said U.S. Attorney Robert Brewer. “His theft compromised the San Diego Zoo’s world-renowned conservation work, made possible by government grants, charitable donations and the work of thousands of unpaid volunteers.”

The FBI unraveled a years-long plot to steal money from San Diego's prized institution by a trusted employee. Today, the zoo has been made whole again through payment of full restitution and Mr. Anderson was forced to face justice for his fraudulent actions through his prison sentence.

Mandatory Facts:

Defendant/Respondent: Matthew John Anderson

Criminal Charges: Theft or conversion concerning programs receiving federal funds – 18 U.S.C. § 666

City and State: San Diego, California

Exact Date: October 21, 2020

Sentence or Outcome: Six months in prison

Dollar Amounts: $236,682.86

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdca/pr/former-biologist-sentenced-prison-stealing-hundreds-thousands-dollars-san-diego-zoo