Mercedes Brena convicted in Yuma school fund fraud, forgery device possession

Mercedes Brena, also known as Mercedes Ruiz and a former human resources specialist for Yuma Elementary School District One, pleaded guilty to two felony counts after prosecutors say she embezzled money from the district between November 2021 and October 2022, the Arizona Attorney General’s Office announced. The plea agreement includes a stipulated minimum restitution of $85,988.70, a figure prosecutors list alongside news releases describing the total as about $86,000.

State investigators and prosecutors say Brena used multiple schemes to take district funds, forging and submitting fraudulent timesheets to a third-party payroll processing company, stealing money orders intended for the school, and using district credit cards to buy gift cards for personal use, according to the Arizona Attorney General’s press release. The Arizona Office of the Auditor General’s report, which was submitted to state prosecutors on Aug. 15, found that roughly $74,000 of the loss resulted from an improper substitute-teacher payment scheme in which extra pay was requested and money orders were diverted and deposited into a personal checking account, the Auditor General’s report states as summarized in local coverage.

Brena, 42, pleaded guilty on Feb. 21 to Misuse of Public Monies, a Class 4 felony, and Possession of a Forgery Device, a Class 6 designated felony, resolving an earlier indictment that had included nine counts related to misuse of public monies, theft, fraud and forgery. The plea agreement, which the Attorney General’s Office says is available for public review, stipulates the minimum restitution amount and settles the charges to which she admitted guilt.

The case was investigated by the Arizona Office of the Auditor General and prosecuted by the Fraud and Special Prosecutions Section of the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, which announced the convictions in early March 2026. Attorney General Kris Mayes said, “When public funds meant for the education of Arizona’s children are stolen or misused, there must be accountability,” Mayes said. “My office will always stand up for the students, families, and taxpayers who deserve their tax dollars being spent appropriately.”

Sentencing is scheduled for Apr. 15, 2026 at 8:30 a.m. in Maricopa County Superior Court, where the court will consider restitution and any additional penalties under the plea terms. Copies of the indictment and the plea agreement are available through the Attorney General’s Office, and court docket entries at Maricopa County Superior Court will record the formal sentencing outcome.