The Rossys walked to the courtroom for arraignments April 12th.

The Rossys walked to the courtroom for arraignments April 12th.

A former Inyo Health and Human Services Supervisor and her husband, Dawndee and Kenneth Rossy, were scheduled to appear in Inyo Superior Court this week on a host of allegations, including embezzlement of $1.5 million in welfare money.

According to Assistant District Attorney Joel Samuels, the Rossy’s June 20th preliminary hearing date was vacated. He said a settlement conference will, instead, go forward with visiting Judge Plotkin on Thursday.

On Wednesday, the Rossy’s appeared in Court with a request to withdraw some $18,000 from a bank account. A hold had been placed on that account. Samuels argued to maintain the status quo. The Judge did issue an order to maintain the hold on that account. Samuels said the funds could become a matter of victim restitution.

Another recent issue before the court – the Rossy’s, who previously had their own separate attorneys, have now both hired Gerard Harvey to represent them. The Court conducted a long discussion about the risks of co-defendants being represented by the same attorney. Assistant DA Samuels said since both of the Rossys face the potential of high prison exposure, the issue of attorney conflicts was discussed.

The couple had been arrested in April. The District Attorney’s Office filed 44 felonies against the Rossys – ranging from embezzlement of public funds to conspiracy to commit grand theft, conspiracy to commit identity theft and possession of methamphetamine. The DA’s complaint alleges a scheme by the Rossys to use 35 stolen identities to receive welfare benefits in the form of cash through use of Electronic Benefit Transfer cards.

The Rossy’s are now out of jai but remain on GPS monitors pending court hearings. Questions still remain unanswered about how the embezzlement of $1.5 million of state welfare funds took place undetected for at least five years.

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