Stiff sentence for Kenefick

Shelley Kenefick, 43, must serve at least 85 percent of the sentence — more than 13 years — before she is eligible for parole, because it is considered a serious felony.

Kenefick, wearing orange San Joaquin County jail clothing and her brunette hair in a ponytail, did not speak before sentencing and her face did not change when victims spoke in court.

"I just don't understand why. I need to know why you took the money from us," said Colleen Allen, who had invested $200,000 with Kenefick after being left an inheritance from her grandmother. "I just have a real problem trusting anyone now because of this."

Throughout the investigation and trial, Kenefick has blamed her estranged husband, Geoff Kenefick, a rancher who was never charged and was called as a defense witness at last month's trial.

"I'm here because of my husband," she told a probation officer for a pre-sentence report. "His testimony only told all the bad things I've done. He had access to all the documents. My copies suddenly disappeared. He had my 11-year-old son help him make photo copies."

Twelve jurors listened to the husband and wife testify and ultimately decided Jan. 30 that Shelley Kenefick was guilty of all charges.

Don Howard, a retired barber in his early 70s who lost $160,000, on Monday asked Judge Richard Mallett to hand down the stiffest sentence possible.

"She knew what she was doing to my family. She knew what she did to my wife, my kids, my grandkids," he said.

Mallett gave Kenefick 16 years, 4 months in prison, more time than the maximum sentence for voluntary manslaughter. Deputy Public Defender Eric Taylor was visibly angry and said such a sentence means that very little restitution will ever be paid, since Kenefick will be in prison for so many years.

Of all the heinous crimes he's seen in years of trial work, Taylor said, Kenefick's sentence "is the most gross, excessive sentence I've ever seen in this courthouse." He pointed to words on the wall behind the judge that read, "Reason is the life of the law."

Mallett cut him off, asking for a reason to lower the sentence. The money loss was "$890,000, not $8,900," the judge added.

Shelley Kenefick's sentence

• 16 years, 4 months in prison, with 46 days worth of credit for time spent in jail. She must serve 85 percent of the sentence before being eligible for parole.
• $10,000 fine.
• Pay restitution to the victims, totaling $890,000.
• Once released from prison, she will be on parole for up to 4 years.
• She has a right to file an appeal within 60 days.
— News-Sentinel staff.

Even after a jury trial, there is no sign of the money. Kenefick had run Accounting Concepts in Lodi for years and then formed an investment business, with her husband named as a co-owner. They also ran a ranch that had been in the Kenefick family for more than a century.

A forensic accountant traced numerous money transfers between various bank accounts, but where the money went from there is anybody's guess.

Kenefick, who had done bookkeeping and accounting for some clients for years, suggested they invest in her business, telling them the money was going into real estate and would give them 10 percent interest.

At one point, a retired Lodi police officer had invested with Kenefick and, when the interest payments stopped, threatened to go to prosecutors. The money was repaid. Only much later did he learn that Kenefick had forged his name on other documents.

In October 2004, a Lockeford couple went to police but at that point it was still considered a civil matter. A year later, Detective Sgt. Steven Price looked into the case and obtained a search warrant. He ultimately found six more victims who had invested tens of thousands of dollars.

"(Kenefick) insulted our intelligence when she testified," Price said after the sentencing, which he attended on his day off work. "She got what she deserved; she destroyed these people's lives."

Prosecutor Sherri Adams, who has recently won jury convictions in several such cases, said elderly financial abuse is more common than many think, and praised Price for taking on the case.

Many officers don't take white-collar crime seriously, she said, but when the victims are elderly it's even worse.

"This is their retirement," she said after court. "What if they need long-term care? They have nothing."

Contact reporter Layla Bohm at layla@lodinews.com.

First published: Tuesday, February 27, 2007

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