Man gets 12 years, $1.6M in fines for embezzling

A travel manager formerly from Irvine was sentenced to 12 years in state prison for embezzlement after pleading guilty to making numerous unauthorized trips and luxury purchases on company credit cards, authorities said Monday.

While working at TravelCorp USA in Anaheim, Jeremy Belisario, 38, bought numerous air travel tickets and lavish items using company cards; he forced his own bank account to OK the sales using a fake authorization code, the Orange County district attorney’s office said in a news release.

Belisario also bought Super Bowl tickets in February 2008, racking up more than $69,000 in expenses that included the tickets, limo rides and private flights for himself, friends and family to Arizona, prosecutors said.

He also charged more than $89,000 for the company to pay for a chartered flight on Virgin Airlines and a private five-bedroom villa at the Four Seasons Punta Mita Resort near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Belisario’s sentence last week also included $1 million in restitution and $1.6 million in fines.

— Lauren Williams

Twitter: @lawilliams30