‘Woman of the Year’ could get as much as a year in jail for theft

BY EMILY MIBACH
Daily Post Managing Editor

A former San Mateo County Woman of the Year, who stole $700,000 from the nonprofit where she worked, won’t be sent to state prison, but instead could receive up to a year in the county jail when she is sentenced in a few weeks.

Clarise Ann Blanchard, 77, of Foster City, was set to be sentenced yesterday by Judge Kevin Dunleavy after she accepted a plea bargain. She stole $700,000 from the now-defunct nonprofit StarVista from 2009 until her retirement in 2022 and identity theft, District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said.

But the judge put off sentencing until Aug. 13 because prosecutor Kathy Wong’s brief recommending Blanchard’s sentencing was filed late, Wagstaffe said.

However, the judge said yesterday he would not sentence Blanchard to state prison, but will give her probation. With probation, he has the option of sentencing her to as much as one year in the county jail.

The prosecution is asking for jail time, Wagstaffe said.

Blanchard is out of jail on a $700,000 bail bond.

Star Vista, which was one of the county’s leading mental health contractors, closed in August.

A factor in favor of probation was that Blanchard acknowledged the crimes she had committed and knew it was wrong, the judge said.

Dunleavy said former Star Vista CEO Sara Larios Mitchell recommended Blanchard get probation and issue a public apology, Wagstaffe said.

Dunleavy will have to decide how long Blanchard on probation, and it is still to be determined how much she will have to pay back.

Since Starvista closed last year, it was not immediately clear yesterday to whom any restitution would be paid, Wagstaffe said.

Wagstaffe said he’s unsure if any restitution paid by Blanchard could go to creditors of StarVista, which closed due to financial challenges that were not connected to Blanchard’s embezzlement.

Money for trips

As for the funds Blanchard stole, she used the money to go on lavish trips, according to the DA.

If Blanchard had faced a jury trial and been found guilty, she could have faced up to 10 years in prison.

But after she struck a plea deal on Oct. 22, she faced a maximum of 3 years and 4 months in prison.

Blanchard, who was named the 2008 San Mateo County Woman of the Year, retired from the nonprofit in May 2022. The theft was discovered after she retired. The nonprofit asked Blanchard where a $50,000 donation was and conducted an audit, which round that more money was missing.

It was discovered that Blanchard had set up a bank account for herself and deposited donations meant for Star Vista, adding about $700,000 in her account between 2009 and 2022, the DA said.

Investigators also found thank you notes to the contributors of the money that was put into Blanchard’s account with a forged signature from Star Vista’s executive director. Wagstaffe said Blanchard had fiscal authority as her job as Clinical Director, something Star Vista has denied.