LOS ANGELES - A retired Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy who pleaded no contest in April to embezzling almost half a million dollars from the City of La Puente was sentenced last month to three years in state prison.Joseph Dyer, 56, surrendered to authorities on May 31 to begin serving his prison term. As a sheriff's deputy, Dyer supervised the impound program at the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Industry Station and collected towing fees from residents. He and his wife, Lydia Dyer, 48, were indicted in 2009 on charges that he stole nearly $500,000 in tow fees from La Puente between June 2001 and December 2007, and the couple failed to report that money on their tax returns. Lydia Dyer pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor count of filing a false tax return and was sentenced to 12 months probation. As a condition of their plea, the defendants jointly paid $454,588 in restitution to the sheriff's department, plus $100,000 for investigative expenses. The couple also paid $44,149 in back taxes and interest to the California Franchise Tax Board.

********** Published: June 16, 2011 - Volume 10 - Issue 9