Former San Francisco homeless services CEO charged with misspending $1.2 million in public funds

"Gwendolyn Westbrook, 71, raided the accounts of the United Council for Human Services while she had near-exclusive financial control over the nonprofit serving homeless and low-income people, according to a statement Monday from the district attorney's office. Prosecutors allege that between 2019 and 2023, Ms. Westbrook engaged in unauthorized self-payments, improper cash withdrawals, and fraudulent reimbursement practices that diverted public funds for personal use."

"In the court documents filed this month, Westbrook is accused of buying luxury vehicles and making purchases at high-end retailers like Louis Vuitton and Neiman Marcus with the nonprofit's money. She led the organization, which ran a soup kitchen and collected millions in city contracts to shelter the homeless, for nearly two decades before her dismissal in 2023."

"The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the charges are the latest in a long history of trouble for Westbrook and the United Council of Human Services. She was accused in 1997 of stealing thousands of dollars from a cash box at a parking lot owned by the San Francisco Port, her employer at the time."

Gwendolyn Westbrook, 71, former CEO of the United Council for Human Services in San Francisco, was charged with nine felonies for misappropriating public funds intended for homeless services. Prosecutors allege she exploited her near-exclusive financial control to conduct unauthorized self-payments, improper cash withdrawals, and fraudulent reimbursements between 2019 and 2023, diverting over $1.2 million for personal use. Court documents indicate she purchased luxury vehicles and high-end goods from retailers like Louis Vuitton and Neiman Marcus using nonprofit funds. Westbrook led the organization for nearly two decades before dismissal in 2023. She faces charges including misappropriation of public funds, grand theft, and filing false tax returns. This case reflects a pattern of financial misconduct spanning decades.

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