Former UTOPIA employee charged with using public money to buy $51K in iTunes cards


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SALT LAKE CITY — The former human resources manager of an ultra high-speed fiber-optic network in Utah has been charged with misusing public money, including the purchase of $51,000 in iTunes cards, according to charging documents.

Gloria Cortes, 52, of Salt Lake City, was charged Wednesday in 3rd District Court with communications fraud and misuse of public money, both second-degree felonies.

Cortes was the former human resources manager and controller for the Utah Telecommunications Open Infrastructure Agency. UTOPIA consists of a group of Utah cities that joined together to form a fiber-optic network and provide advanced communications infrastructure to their residents. The company is funded by public money through taxes.

In December, UTOPIA's chief financial officer discovered that Cortes had made more than $90,000 in unauthorized payments to herself over the past several years, according to charging documents. Her duties while employed included reconciling the credit card payments for the company with receipts.

But the CFO discovered that his company credit card was used to purchase $51,000 in iTunes cards from September 2014 until March 2016, charges state.

"The statements submitted by the defendant for payment were altered to hide the charges to iTunes," according to charging documents.

Cortes is also accused of overpaying herself by about $39,000 from 2011 to 2016 by calling the payroll company used by UTOPIA and requesting additional payments and reimbursements for herself that were not authorized, charges state.

When confronted with the allegations, Cortes said "she didn't know how it happened" in regard to the iTunes charges, claimed no knowledge of the extra payroll payments, and said she would pay the money back, according to court documents.

Cortes offered to leave UTOPIA and pay the the agency back, saying "she didn't want to go to jail," charges state. The iTunes cards were used for "games," according to the charges.

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Pat Reavy

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