Vence Donlan Pleads Guilty; One of Robin Donlan's attorneys says she is innocent

See all Vence Donlan posts.

UPDATE: I HAVE RECENTLY BEGUN TO ASK MYSELF SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS MATTER.

Did someone push Vence Donlan into committing stock options fraud?

How did so many people who were close to Robin Donlan become involved in criminal activities?

These individuals include Donlan's PTA friend, Kimberlee Simmons; Donlan's brother, Michael Carlson; her brother's boss, Commander Sam Gross of Santa Barbara Sheriff's department; and finally, and most distressingly, her husband, a former navy pilot and school teacher who is now serving an almost-4-year federal prison sentence.

Robin's husband Vence Donlan was never in trouble before he married Robin.

What caused him to begin to commit stock option theft a few months after he married Robin?

Could it have been pressure from his wife?

That was certainly the reason that Robin's union, California Teachers Association (CTA), teachers at her school (Castle Park Elementary), and administrators at her school district (Chula Vista Elementary) became involved in criminal activities. Robin Donlan put them in a position where they had to violate the law or push back against pressure. Sadly, they all decided to break the law.

I suspect that Robin was fearful in March 2002, when she learned that her school district and her fellow teachers had been sued, that her involvement in the wrongdoing would eventually be exposed.

Robin Doig Colls married Vence Donlan in early 2002, perhaps in part because she feared that her role in the wrongdoing would be exposed, and she wanted the support of a husband. Possibly she expressed fear to her husband that she would have to pay a lot of money in a lawsuit, and he felt the need to provide her with a lot of money.

One thing is for certain: Robin committed crimes, encouraged crimes, and covered up crimes. And a lot of people suffered the consequences.

It's time for Robin to come forward and tell the truth, and try to repair some of the damage she's done. The same is true of Chula Vista Elementary School District, California Teachers Association, and the San Diego County Office of Education-Joint Powers Authority.

How about a return to the rule of law, Robin and friends?

ORIGINAL POST:


Chula Vista Elementary School District teacher Robin Donlan and her husband filed false tax returns. But she says she's an innocent bystander.

Here's the story from the San Diego Union Tribune:
By Kathryn Balint
July 4, 2007

Vencent Donlan, 44, a teacher, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to one count of wire fraud and one count of tax evasion in connection with a scheme in which he fraudulently issued Wireless Facilities stock options and then cashed them in.

In a plea agreement, Donlan admitted to using his position as Wireless Facilities' stock options administrator to fraudulently issue 728,229 shares of the company's stock to a brokerage account he controlled and then selling them for a net gain of $6.3 million between November 2002 and November 2003.

He also admitted that he evaded paying $2.2 million in federal income taxes for 2002 and 2003 by failing to declare the income he received from the fraudulent stock sales.

“Mr. Donlan exploited his position as a stock option administrator and embezzled millions of dollars,” said Ronald Krajewski, acting special agent in charge of the Internal Revenue Service's San Diego office.

Donlan, a Del Cerro resident and former Navy pilot, most recently taught physics at the San Diego High Educational Complex School of Business. He was paid about $65,000 a year when he worked for Wireless Facilities from 2002 to 2004.

Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 17. Until then, Donlan is out on a $100,000 personal surety bond, said his attorney, Howard Frank.

Donlan's wife, Robin, has not been charged criminally. Donlan had used her Social Security number and maiden name, Robin Colls, on the brokerage account.

David Hiden, one of Robin Donlan's attorneys, previously has said that she was an “innocent bystander.”