A woman accused of stealing more than $50,000 from a Greenbrae resident was ordered back to jail Tuesday, just 10 days after she was released on bail.
The prosecution said the defendant, Qingyun Chen, had been released in error.
Chen, 30, of San Leandro was charged last month with grand theft, grand theft by false pretenses and theft from an elder or dependent adult. The alleged victim is 79 years old.
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Marin County sheriff’s detectives arrested Chen on allegations of scamming victims via the internet. She’s accused of misleading the Greenbrae resident into paying large amounts of money to couriers who were sent to her home.
Chen’s initial bail amount was set at $2.5 million because of the significant amount of money she was believed to have defrauded from victims online, according to the Marin County Sheriff’s Office. During a hearing on Nov. 22, Judge Kelly Simmons ordered the bail amount to be reduced to $100,000.
As a condition of the bail reduction, Simmons ordered Chen to prove that her bail money is from a lawful source, according to court records. Chen posted bail on Nov. 23 and was released.
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Deputy District Attorney Daniel Madow said this was a mistake because Chen had yet to demonstrate the source of the bail money.
The judge’s order on the bail money did not reach the jail staff, according to sheriff’s Sgt. Adam Schermerhorn.
“It was not noted in her charge remarks or detailed in the info from the court order received from the court clerk,” he said.
Chen’s public defender, Jeff Mitchell, told Simmons on Tuesday that Chen was not trying to “circumvent” the court order. Mitchell requested that Chen be allowed to remain free, saying her boyfriend and one of her relatives paid for her bail.
Simmons denied the request and had Chen remanded. Simmons scheduled another hearing for Friday for Chen to prove the bail funds came from legitimate means, Madow said.
Chen has yet to enter a plea.
