Judge to Decide Whether Flores Conviction Is a Felony or Misdemeanor

After a jury convicted Stockton Unified trustee AngelAnn Flores of insurance fraud in July and acquitted her of embezzlement and misappropriation, the defense asked Judge Richard Mallet to reduce the conviction from a felony to a misdemeanor.

California treats some offenses as “wobblers,” which a judge can sentence either way. The defense, led by Tori Verber Salazar with Natalie Bowman, pointed to Flores’ lack of a prior record, the restitution she had paid, and her years of community service, and noted that a felony could cost her the board seat voters elected her to. The District Attorney’s Office made no public recommendation. The judge referred the matter to probation ahead of the sentencing hearing.