Gilroy woman sentenced for embezzling $100,000 from winery

MORGAN HILL — A 62-year-old Gilroy woman was sentenced Thursday to one year in Santa Clara County jail for committing elder fraud by embezzling more than $100,000 from her employer, a century-old family-owned winery, prosecutors said.

Stacey Greenlee worked as an administrative assistant for the owner of Guglielmo Winery from October 2022 to March 2024, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office.

Prosecutors said Greenlee used her position to steal from the Morgan Hill business’s bank account, writing fraudulent checks and opening two credit cards in her name.

An investigation by the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office revealed Greenlee made frequent trips to Graton Resort and Casino in Rohnert Park, where she spent more than $63,000, prosecutors said.

Greenlee hid the scheme from her employer by concealing bank statements, despite several requests for them from the winery’s accountant, and changing the email address associated with the bank account, according to the district attorney’s office.

On Sept. 8, 2025, Greenlee pleaded no contest to two felony violations of elder fraud. She was sentenced Thursday to four years in state prison, but a judge stayed the prison sentence as long as she completes four years of probation, prosecutors said.

The conditions of her probation include the county jail sentence, which she will begin serving on March 5, and an order to pay $30,000 in restitution, prosecutors said.

“This woman chose to steal from her employer,” District Attorney Jeffrey Rosen said in a statement. “By abusing that trust, she gambled with their livelihood. Embezzlement doesn’t pay out.”