Crime · South Lake Tahoe, CA
Ex-South Lake Tahoe Mayor Pleads Guilty to $390K Church Embezzlement
Tamara Le Ann Wallace, 56, pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court in Sacramento to wire fraud for embezzling approximately $390,000 from the Lake Tahoe Community Presbyterian Church, where she worked as a part-time bookkeeper starting in 2018. Wallace admitted stealing from the church beginning in 2019 through September 2025 by writing checks to herself disguised as expense reimbursements and making unauthorized electronic transfers while falsifying digital bookkeeping records. The theft forced the church to reduce programming, take out loans, and pay late fees on overdue bills. Wallace abruptly resigned as South Lake Tahoe mayor last year after publishing a confession in local news outlets. She faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $800,000, with sentencing scheduled for Jan. 14, 2027.