These guys got prison time and they didn't steal anything compared to Monique. She needs to do a minimum of five years and give back the money. Randy is still working. He can swindle the money somehow. A search of Santamaria's bedroom recovered $13,300 in cash, which was seized. All that money was distributed to some of the victims as part of restitution. After his release, scheduled for 2015, Santamaria will be required to pay $225 monthly toward restitution. Once a svelte high-school Coral School High athlete, Santamaria reportedly weighed 270 pounds when booked into state custody. Echemendia, who listed residences in Bradenton and Palm Beach when arrested, was given a 4-year, 6-month sentence by Monroe County Judge Ruth Becker in September. With two previous stints in state prison for burglary, vehicle theft and escape, Echemendia was declared a habitual offender. It took Sheriff's Office investigators weeks to piece together the details of Echemendia's three-day crime spree in the Middle and Upper Keys. During that period, he reportedly stole two personal watercraft, a car, 18 propane tanks, cases of sunglasses, clothing, fishing gear, wallets and credit cards. He burglarized several parked vehicles.

We should have a county vote where the tax payers all show up and have Dennis ward ask them what do you want done. Then all the county taxpayers can give the thumbs up or thumbs down. Hey it worked in the Roman days!

If she repaid every penny she stole, and every penny she was paid for "serving" the people of Monroe County, I could accept 5 years. If she doesn't repay every cent, then I say 120 years is just about right. Keep in mind, she is accused of stealing over $300,000 (and there is more she is suspected of stealing where the evidence is not as strong). If she serves five years, that means she earned $60,000 a year for going to jail. Hell, I'd go to jail for five years if I got $300k when I got out!

We need to set an example here. If this person is found guilty of stealing from our school system via several methods than I honestly feel that the death penalty would be appropriate. Theives who prey on the elderly or children deserve capitol punishment!

The wronged party is NOT the School Board...they were definitely DUPED but not wronged!! The wronged parties are firstly the STUDENTS - who were robbed of their fund raising dollars; they were robbed of their faith in educational school officials to do what is right; they were robbed of educational programs which could have been funded with the money stolen and they were USED by the Acevedos. One student told me that she felt dirty, after reading about all of the money and equipment stolen. The CITIZENS/TAXPAYERS of this county have been wronged...they had tax dollars stolen from the proper beneficiaries - the children and their education....the CITIZENS/ TAXPAYERS lost trust because they were lied to by the conspiracy of administrators - up and down the hierarchy...from the top- Acevedo, Fraga, (in charge of finances, food services and maintenance), St James-in charge of everything else,and Sims ( in charge of nails), to the second/third level of crooks - chuck freeman, ms. cherry, ann collins, mike henriquez, mark hooper, ken st james, danny and chris yahn...and the list goes on and on. The CITIZENS/TAXPAYERS have lost their faith that tax dollars are being attended to frugally and fairly. CITIZENS/TAXPAYERS have lost their trust in their elected officials on the board to oversee and DEMAND the information if it is not presented by the administrators. The CITIZENS/TAXPAYERS of this County have been WRONGED because we elected, in good faith, some wimpy yes men/woman ( not Dick and P.)and they allowed A BAND of crooks to look after our educational system. If it is to be RIGHTED - punishing Monique is the easy part- she is just stupid and greedy.... GET THE REST OF THE CROOKS - PUT THEM ON TRIAL - ALL OF THEM - that would be a fair punishment for the crimes committed against our children and taxpayers!! Monique is just a drop in the bucket!!

The Acevedo's and Madoff's of the world will continue to take advantage of their opportunity to provide for their friends and families, be the fall guy, as long as the system structure allows them to do so. Obviously more transparency and financial risk has to be distributed to more members before substantial funds leave the control of the organization. Independent auditors are needed to confirm transactions are not out of the ordinary before release. The Acevedo family should work in servitude for the state until the restitution is paid, all assets taken, live at the jail, given a food stamp card and use bicycles for transportation as they are not a physical threat to society. Any extra money they can earn by doing various odd jobs for the community, like picking up dog doo and scrubbing sidewalks with a toothbrush for spending money. Once the funds are returned, then the principal culprit can begin their prison sentence, once they do enough time, they become institutionalized, crazy and a hard type with a past record, very unlikely to be able to feed themselves in a free society, much less pay back any restitution owed or get a meaningful job. Also they are 85% likely to commit a crime within the first year of release and go right back to prison. So my suggestion is to get the money back first before sending them off to prison to be ruined.

the people, the taxpayers, the parents and school kids, NOT the bubbas, friends and relatives.

Acevedo's crime went on for YEARS. I'm not sure that her sentence. should she be found guilty. reflect that she repaid the county any of the money she stole for personnel use. If that was the case one of her rich friends could buy her way out of jail. She was the head scammer out of many thieves and incompetents in the school system. Yes lump every one of her thiefs into one case but the judgement must reflect the 100 times she swindled money from taxpayers. This is not a case to go easy.