Sally Symons letter
Sally Symons read the following letter at Rebecca Bragdon’s trial in October of last year.
My name is Sally Symons and I am writing this victim impact statement on behalf of the 18th District Agircultural Association, more commonly known as the Eastern Sierra Tri-County Fair. I am currently employed as the CEO of the Eastern Sierra Tri-County Fair.
The Eastern Sierra Tri-County Fair is governed by an appointed Board of Directors made up of citizens from Inyo, Mono and Alpine Counties. Primary in the minds of the Board of Directors and myself is the financial and reputational recovery of the Fairgrounds in the wake of Rebecca Bragdon’s criminal activities that victimized the Fairgrounds.
The Eastern Sierra Tri-County Fairgrounds is the hub of community activities and events ranging in size from Mule Days and California High School Rodeo Association State finals down to 4-H project meetings and family celebrations. The Fairgrounds belong to the citizens of three counties. What we do here is for the benefit of those citizens and their interest. Mrs. Bragdon’s crimes were not committed against some faceless government bureaucracy with funds and assets to spare; she victimized the citizens of those three counties that depend on the Fairgrounds to provide facilities, events and opportunities to broaden their experiences and enrich their lives. She took advantage of a trusted community partner when it was already struggling financially, jeopardizing its already fragile financial position. From skimming funds out of the Junior Livestock Awards donations to pocketing facility rental fees and vendor deposits and giving herself unauthorized pay advances Mrs. Bragdon stole from all of us in the process.
I can tell you that in addition to the financial damage that Mrs. Bragdon caused, she also jeopardized the reputation and character of the Fair and Fairgrounds itself. We have lost vendors and participants in varying events because of her dishonesty. A fair depends on its reputation to attract vendors, entertainers and guests. We are now in the process of rebuilding that image in order to increase revenue and improve our tarnished reputation.
Additionally, the Fair incurred excessive payroll and additional expense as a result of Mrs. Bragdon’s embezzlement. The staff accountant had to put in many extra yours to sort through records to aid in the investigation and track Mrs. Bragdon’s activities. For the time period of August 1, 2013 through September 30, 2013 the accountant would have put in approximately 40 hours under normal circumstances. As a result of the embezzlement a total of 134.25 hours were put in, resulting in an additional payroll expense of $6,112.50.
Another additional expense resulting from Mrs. Bragdon’s crime is an independent forensic audit. The State of California has requested that the Fair have a forensic audit performed. The forensic audit is underway, and has so far cost the Eastern Sierra Tri-County Fair a retainer of $3,500 and will likely end up in the neighborhood of $10,000.
The official investigation revealed a loss to the Fairgrounds totaling $24,389.82 from Mrs. Bragdon’s activities. It is painfully obvious that the monetary loss was substantially greater, however cannot be quantified in a timely and effective manner to satisfy the court.
Symons then asks for restitution totaling approx. $38,000.
Although full payment of the restitution requested won’t undo the damage caused by Mrs. Bragdon, it is certainly a sum the Fair could put towards worthy projects to benefit the citizens that she took advantage of.
In regard to Mrs. Bragdon’s sentence, I would like to point out that she was entrusted with the management and stewardship of a valuable regional asset and chose to abuse that trust. She victimized the citizens of three counties and directly impacted the already tenuous financial well-being of an essential community cornerstone. It is the Fair’s belief that Mrs. Bragdon should be held accountable for her actions to the maximum. It is obvious that her crimes were well thought out and planned, spanned a long time period and required a great deal of manipulation on her part. This was not a one-time temptation or theft out of hardship. It was a calculated criminal act … a very intentional act that shows a lack of remorse on the part of Mrs. Bragdon.
