The head of Stockton’s Miracle Mile Improvement District has been caught allegedly charging $40,000 in personal goods to the district’s credit card. Mimi Nguyen, 31, admitted to the caper Monday and immediately stepped down from her position. Police are now investigating while a forensic accountant, hired by the district, sifts through the records.
“The employee went to some trouble to disguise the charges so they would not be readily discernible to the employer,” said the Improvement District’s attorney Mike Hakeem.
Merchants were shocked by the news. Nguyen, who holds an MBA from the University of California, Davis, had been in charge since 2013 and appeared to have a promising career ahead of her. She had recently been granted the Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce’s Athena Young Professional Leadership Award and was named among Lifestyle magazine’s “Forty under 40” to watch.
If the allegations are true, she needed to be watched alright.
“I have no words,” said Kevin Hernandez, owner of Ave on the Mile. “We’re all in shock. It’s a black eye to our community and to the Miracle Mile.”
The news comes at a difficult time for the Mile, which has been plagued by infighting and negative press. Nguyen herself had recently appeared in a city-funded video aimed at boosting Stockton’s image.
“Stockton gave me a chance, Stockton believed in me, Stockton really inspired me,” Nguyen said.