Attorney General Mayes Announces Indictment of Former Santa Cruz County Employee on Theft, Fraud, Forgery, and Money Laundering Charges

NOGALES — Attorney General Kris Mayes today announced that a State Grand Jury has indicted Victor Huerta Jr. on five felony counts for the alleged theft and fraudulent diversion of public funds entrusted to the Santa Cruz County Attorney's Office and the Santa Cruz County Treasurer's Office.

The grand jury returned a true bill on April 27, 2026, charging Huerta Jr. with theft, a Class 2 felony; fraudulent schemes and artifices, a Class 2 felony; fraudulent schemes and artifices of $100,000 or more, a Class 2 felony; forgery, a Class 4 felony; and money laundering in the second degree, a Class 3 felony.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Matthew Ashton of the Attorney General's Criminal Division. The cause number is CR-26-094, filed in Santa Cruz County Superior Court.

All defendants are presumed innocent until convicted in a court of law.