San Mateo County Sheriff's Activities League executive director arrested for fraud

A close up shot of a pair of handcuffs on a table.

The executive director of the youth-serving San Mateo County Sheriff's Activities League was taken to jail Friday for allegedly stealing about $25,000 from the league, sheriff's officials said. 

South San Francisco resident Barbara Bonilla, 55, was taken to the San Mateo County Jail and is being held on $70,000 bail. 

Bonilla was also a sheriff's office employee. In May, she resigned from her job and is also no longer affiliated with the activities league, according to the sheriff's office.

In January, a bookkeeper with the league apparently noticed some discrepancies on the books and an internal review revealed the possibility of fraud. 

As a result, Bonilla was put on administrative leave Feb. 10, sheriff's officials said. 

The activities league and sheriff's office are affiliated,so the California Attorney General's Office conducted the criminal investigation. 

"SAL and its entire staff was shocked and saddened to learn of the allegations," San Mateo County Sheriff Carlos Bolanos said in a statement. 

"We are committed to providing service to our community and building positive relationships with our youth," Bolanos said. "We will continue to move forward with SAL for the impactful work the program does in our community."