Update in St. Isidore Church Embezzlement Case

A former volunteer charged with taking more than $90,000 from the church is waiting to find out how much, if any money she must pay back in restitution.

Evelyn Peinado, 64, a longtime church volunteer from Alamo, pleaded not guilty to three counts of embezzlement in connection with the more than $90,000 missing from the church. She is next scheduled to appear in court in Walnut Creek on Nov. 17 for her preliminary hearing.

Peinado turned herself in at court for her arraignment in May after she and .

Some of the purchases made by Peinado were from a church credit card to buy groceries, said Supervising Deputy District Attorney Steve Bolen.

Peinado put money into a trust fund to cover restitution to the church should she be found guilty, said Bolen.

The two other church staffers involved have already had their cases resolved.

Kathleen Dake, of Blackhawk, the church's former bookkeeper, , to pay for plastic surgery, shopping trips, services on her Porsche and other personal expenses.

. He was sentenced to three years probation and 65 days in jail but received credit for time he served after his arrest in May.

Lukban was ordered to back $35,000 of $68,802 he was charged with stealing from the Danville church. The five counts of embezzlement he faced in May were dropped in exchange for his plea.

His attorney, Bill Gagen, said Lukban, who began working at the church in 2003, believed many of the purchases he made using church money were approved by Dake.

in connection with about $600,000 missing from the church. St. Isidore's Pastor Gerry Moran first noticed discrepancies in the parish financial office records in May 2010 leading to a nine month investigation.

All three church staffers were fired as a result of the investigation.

The church has since added a separate bookkeeper and accounting manager to monitor its finances, according to a statement from the Diocese of Oakland at the time of the arrests.