Nicholas Medina TREASURER OF BLUE SANTA PROGRAM ADMITS TO STEALING NEARLY $1,000 IN WAL MART CARDS Austin Texas

HERE IS A GUY WHO HAD 20 YEARS ON THE JOB AND SHOULD HAVE TURNED IN HIS RETIREMENT PAPERS WHILE HE WAS STILL AHEAD AND COULD HAVE HAD A GOOD PENSION AND RETIREMENT BUT, NO, HE HAD TO STEAL FROM ONE OF MY FAVORITE CHARITIES.

I MISSED MEALS AND SCRIMPED AND SAVED EVERY WAY I COULD SO I COULD GIVE MONEY TO THE BLUE SANTA AND BROWN SANTA CHARITIES.

IT MEANT SO MUCH TO THE POOR KIDS AND THEIR PARENTS AND IT MEANT A LOT TO THE POLICE OFFICERS WHO ENJOYED SEEING THE HAPPINESS OF THE KIDS AT CHRISTMAS WHEN THEY DID THEIR BLUE SANTA GIFT DISTRIBUTION. COPS REALLY LIKE KIDS AND THEY WANT THE BEST FOR THEM.

ONE DAY, CHRISTMAS, THE POOR KIDS CAN HAVE PRESENTS LIKE EVERY BODY ELSE. THEY CAN BE HAPPY AND SMILE.

FROM 1993 TO 2003 AFTER I LOST MY JOB, I GAVE $300 A YEAR FOR THESE KIDS IN THE BLUE SANTA AND THE BROWN SANTA CHARITIES SO THEY COULD BE HAPPY FOR A DAY.

AND HERE IS THIS GUY WHO PUTS HIS ENTIRE RETIREMENT ON THE LINE SO HE CAN STEAL AND HE WORKS FOR THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT!

I MISSED MEALS TO DONATE TO THIS GROUP.

I WANTED THE KIDS TO HAVE THE MONEY --NOT SOME 20-YEAR VETERAN WHO IS EMPLOYED AND MAKING GOOD MONEY.

WHY DID YOU STEAL FROM THE KIDS?

ARE YOU A CHICANO?

DUDE, MY FATHER WAS BORN AND RAISED IN MEXICO AND I KNOW WHAT THAT WORD REALLY MEANS! NOT WHAT THE ACADEMIC PEOPLE WHO HAVE NEVER EVEN BEEN TO MEXICO SAY IT MEANS! ( HINT: TWO OF THE NICER MEANINGS ARE LIAR AND THIEVING...)

IT DESCRIBES PEOPLE JUST LIKE YOU -- NICHOLAS MEDINA JR.

YOU ARE A DISGRACE TO YOUR FATHER NICHOLAS MEDINA Sr., AN GOOD MAN.

HE WOULD HAVE FIRED HIS EMPLOYEES IF THEY HAD STOLEN.

ANY MORE BLUE SANTA VOLUNTEERS GOING TO DRAGGED FORWARD AFTER THEY HAVE BEEN FOUND STEALING???

WHAT A DISGRACE!





Blue Santa treasurer resigns after investigation

Published : Thursday, 09 Oct 2008, 10:23 AM CDT

- AUSTIN, Texas -- An Austin Police Department employee has been charged with theft by a public servant and resigned on Monday after police said he stole $959.17 from the department's "Blue Santa" fund.

Blue Santa is a non-profit organization that works with APD and other community organizations to deliver toys and food to needy families in the area for the holidays.

Police said 51-year-old Nicholas Medina, a civilian supervisor in the department's "Operation Blue Santa" program, stole $959.17 in Wal-Mart gift cards in December 2006. Medina is also the Blue Santa board treasurer.

According to documents made public Monday, the Blue Santa organization purchased some turkeys from Wal-Mart on December 15, 2006, but they were inadvertently overcharged $959.17.

Wal Mart refunded that amount in the form of gift cards.

When Medina was later questioned by Blue Santa board members as to where those gift cards were, he said they were "locked up", according to the affidavit.

When an investigator pulled the receipts from the gift card transactions, he noticed they were not typical Blue Santa purchases.

The affidavit states Medina admitted to another board member that he made purchases with the gift cards for his own personal use.

The Austin Police Department is refusing to comment on this investigation, but Blue Santa volunteers say this is an isolated incident in the organization's 30 plus years in the community.

"It certainly caught us off guard," said Operation Blue Santa volunteer Bunny Bennett. "We were not ready for this and we're devastated both personally and professionally about what's going on. But my belief is in this community and we've always said "you can trust us"- and that's what we're saying- you still can trust us."

Medina resigned from the Austin police department on July 10,2008. He worked as a civilian supervisor at APD for nearly 20 years.

Monday, July 14, 2008, 01:26 PM

A former Austin police employee has been charged with theft by a public servant after authorities said he spent nearly $1,000 in Wal-Mart gift cards for the Operation Blue Santa program on himself.

According to an arrest affidavit, Nicholas Medina,51, was the treasurer of the board of directors for the non-profit corporation, which supplies children with toys for Christmas. The affidavit said that the program bought turkeys from Wal-Mart in 2006, but was overcharged $959. Wal-Mart reimbursed the organization through gift cards.

The affidavit said Medina then used the gift cards for himself.

Medina recently told another board member what he'd done, according to the affidavit.

Medina resigned from the police department late last week.


APD Employee Caught Pilfering from Blue Santa


An Austin Police Department employee may have dipped his hand into Santa's toy sack. APD civilian supervisor Nicholas Medina was charged with theft by a public servant for stealing $959.17 worth of Wal-Mart gift cards from APD's Blue Santa fund.

The non-profit organization collects and delivers toys and other items to children in need during the holiday season. Last year Operation Blue Santa assisted about 3,400 families with 14,000 children.

The Blue Santa board of directors caught Medina's alleged pilfering while reviewing the receipts for the gift cards from 2006. After they noticed that the purchases on the cards were not typical Blue Santa purchases, Medina, who is the program director of Blue Santa, said he made personal purchases with them.

HOW DARE YOU STEAL!
Austin, Texas
U.S.A.