[Archived] Former City Employee Sentenced for Theft of City Gift Cards

For Immediate Release: August 18, 2016

Ada Ferrufino, a former employee of the City of Alexandria, was sentenced by the Alexandria Circuit Court today on one felony count of embezzlement by a public employee, resulting from the theft of gift cards from a City program.  The sentence included five years of incarceration with all but three months suspended, conditioned on three years of supervised probation, five years of good behavior, payment of court costs, and restitution of $3,270.  

In October 2015, an employee of the Department of Community and Human Services reported the theft of gift cards from an office at 2525 Mt. Vernon Ave.  The gift cards had been donated to the Fund for Alexandria’s Child to provide activities for children and families receiving City services.  The Alexandria Police Department conducted a criminal investigation, which linked Ferrufino to the recent theft of gift cards, as well as a previously unsolved theft in December 2014.  Ferrufino resigned her City employment on November 10, 2015.  Pursuant to state law, based on her conviction in this case she will not be entitled to receive a public pension.

As a result of an internal review, the City has strengthened policies regarding how gift cards are received, tracked, secured, and released. 

For media inquiries, please contact Craig T. Fifer, Director of Communications and Public Information, at craig.fifer@alexandriava.gov or 703.746.3965. 

This news release is available at: www.alexandriava.gov/93344.