A former executive in San Francisco is taking legal action against a police-funded charity from which she was accused of embezzling more than $100,000, asserting that she is entitled to thousands in owed wages.
Kyra Worthy, aged 50, filed a lawsuit on Friday against the non-profit San Francisco SAFE, as well as its former board chair, Dan Lawson, asserting that there are outstanding unpaid wages owed to her.
Worthy, seeking a payout of around $26,000, was fired from the organization after public funds were found to have been misused by the organization.
SF SAFE, an organization dedicated to safety and crime prevention for the past 48 years, unexpectedly closed in January 2024, following numerous allegations of financial misconduct.
In the lawsuit, Worthy claimed that the non-profit never handed over her final paycheck nor had she been paid for vacation time.
She further stated that after repeated attempts to receive her final payments, she ‘is left with no option but to pursue legal action.’
Subsequent to her dismissal, the ex-executive was charged with approximately 34 felonies related to the alleged misappropriation of more than $700,000 in public funds, to which Worthy pleaded not guilty.
She claimed that the aftermath following the scandal caused her ’emotional distress, including anxiety, insomnia, and depression,’ the suit claimed.
Kyra Worthy, 50, pursued legal action against the non-profit organization San Francisco SAFE and its former board chair, Dan Lawson, citing claims of unpaid wages she believes she is owed.
SF SAFE, a longstanding non-profit with a focus on maintaining safety and preventing crime, ceased operations abruptly in January 2024 amid numerous allegations of financial impropriety.
Worthy (pictured right with board chair Dan Lawson) faced roughly 34 felonies related to the alleged misuse of over $700,000 in public money. Worthy pleaded not guilty to the charges
Staff of the nonprofit were accused, in one instance, of using the funds for a $15,000 Lake Tahoe trip.
The scandal, revealed following a city investigation, included public funds allegedly being used for luxury gifts, valet parking at an exclusive club, and limo services during a Lake Tahoe trip, the San Francisco Standard reported.
Prosecutors claimed that the non-profit had been completely drained of its funds by the time Worthy was let go.
Her last encounter with her former employer was described as ‘unusually cold, hostile, and adversarial,’ upon her exit in January 2024, the same month the organization shuttered.
Worthy additionally claimed that she had never been officially notified of her dismissal, and only learned of her firing after reporters from the Standard contacted her for comment.
The lawsuit was condemned by a former employee, who asked to remain anonymous and said Worthy’s suit was appalling.
They too did not receive a final paycheck nor were they paid for unused sick leave or vacation time from the organization, they told the San Francisco Chronicle.
The San Francisco Police Department previously described the non-profit as a ‘community engagement arm’ and were determined to have given SF SAFE between $3.8 million and $5.3 million without checking receipts, the outlet reported.
The scandal, revealed following a city investigation, included public funds allegedly being used for luxury gifts, valet parking at an exclusive club, and limo services during a Lake Tahoe trip
In the lawsuit, Worthy claimed that the non-profit never handed over her final paycheck nor had she been paid for vacation time and is seeking a $26,000 payout
Worthy claimed that the aftermath following the scandal caused her ’emotional distress, including anxiety, insomnia, and depression’
According to the District Attorney’s Office, Worthy spent more than $350,000 on luxury gift boxes in 2022 and 2023, as well as nearly $100,000 on an event called Candy Explosion in 2023.
Furthermore, Worthy allegedly used money from the organization to cover $8,000 in rent payments and disguised the transactions as community programming.
Court filings further claimed Worthy spent more than $90,000 in funds in 2019 and 2020 on an in-home healthcare aid for her parents in North Carolina, the Standard reported.
The District Attorney’s Office said in a press release: ‘The affidavit states that when Ms. Worthy was hired at the beginning of 2018, SF SAFE had cash reserves in excess of three hundred thousand dollars.’
‘Despite SF SAFE receiving millions of dollars in public and private funds over the next five years, Ms. Worthy’s theft and mismanagement resulted in the 48-year-old charity having no assets and ceasing operations in January of 2024,’ the DA added.
Supervisor Aaron Peskin told the Standard that he had called for the department to cut its funding after years of previous allegations against the non-profit.
‘They should not be doing business with her, plain and simple,’ he said of Worthy.
The Daily Mail reached out to Kyra Worthy and SF SAFE for comment.
