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.

[KXAN: APD employee/Blue Santa treasurer charged with stealing from program]