PHOENIX — A southern Arizona county has filed a lawsuit against its former treasurer with a history of tax liens, alleging she embezzled more than $39 million for over a decade by siphoning taxpayer dollars into her own companies and personal bank accounts.The alleged theft by former Santa Cruz County Treasurer Elizabeth Gutfahr was discovered in April after JPMorgan Chase, Santa Cruz County’s bank, alerted the county to 11 fraudulent transactions for $375,000, prompting investigations by the FBI, Department of Justice, Arizona Auditor General’s Office, and Santa Cruz County.”The sum of it all is this: for more than a decade, Gutfahr used County funds as her piggy bank to fund an opulent and extravagant lifestyle — purchasing several ranches, vehicles, and more,” prosecutors allege in a complaint filed in Pima County Superior Court.Santa Cruz County is pursuing several charges including fraud, conversion, civil conspiracy, racketeering, and breach of fiduciary duty. It also seeks negligent misrepresentation and unjust enrichment as alternative charges if Gutfahr and the oth …
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