Crime · South Lake Tahoe, CA
Former South Lake Tahoe Mayor Pleads Guilty in $390K Church Embezzlement
Tamara Le Ann Wallace, 56, former mayor of South Lake Tahoe, pleaded guilty Thursday to federal wire fraud for embezzling approximately $390,000 from Lake Tahoe Community Presbyterian Church, where she worked as a part-time bookkeeper starting in 2018. The theft ran from 2019 through September 2025 and involved unauthorized checks disguised as expense reimbursements, electronic transfers to her personal account, and falsified digital bookkeeping entries, according to the plea agreement filed before U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley in Sacramento. Wallace faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $800,000; sentencing is set for Jan. 14, 2027. The embezzlement forced the church to reduce programming, take out loans, and pay late fees on overdue bills. Wallace resigned as mayor last year after publishing a confession in local news outlets.