Grace Noto
3 min read
This story was originally published on CFO Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily CFO Dive newsletter.
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A former finance chief for local San Francisco law firms was sentenced to three years in federal prison after pleading guilty to a fraud scheme embezzling over $1.3 million from his previous employers, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California said Wednesday in a press release. The sentencing comes after ex-CFO Tony Archuleta-Perkins pled guilty to one charge of bank fraud and one count of money laundering in December 2024 as part of a plea agreement, after being charged with eight counts of bank fraud and five counts of money laundering last July, according to press releases at the time.
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From a period beginning in 2017 through 2023, Archuleta-Perkins embezzled money from his former employers, including by funneling funds to a non-profit organization under his sole control. The former finance chief utilized those funds for “maintenance and renovation of two San Francisco houses and a Palm Springs vacation home, ultraluxury fashion and premium class international travel,” according to the sentencing memorandum filed with the Northern District of California court on May 14.
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“Mr. Archuleta-Perkins accepted responsibility immediately in this case and has taken extraordinary steps to pay money back,” Archuleta-Perkins’ attorney Kenneth White, founding partner for Brown White & Osborn LLP told CFO Dive via email. “I expect he will continue to do so. He has the unwavering support of friends and family who know he will do everything he can to make things right.”
In addition to his 37-month prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley also sentenced Archuleta-Perkins to three years of supervised release and ordered the former finance chief to pay restitution of over $1.3 million, according to the release.
The restitution amount will be minus funds already paid to victims, including an agreement between the affected parties for certain funds from an October 2024 sale of a San Francisco property “to be deposited into the Clerk’s registry in anticipation of an eventual restitution award in this case,” according to the sentencing memorandum. The clerk received about $256,000 in November.
Originally hired by a local law firm in 2017, Archuleta-Perkins held various roles at the firm before eventually assuming the position of CFO for the business as well as for a related law firm, according to the Wednesday release. His position allowed him access to the company’s payroll and payments platforms, with the former finance chief utilizing that access to embezzle funds via several methods, according to the announcement of Archuleta-Perkins’ December plea.
