Ieremia, Mekeli v. State
Mekeli Ieremia, Director of Risk Management for Socorro Independent School District, was convicted of theft over $200,000 and misapplication of fiduciary property over $200,000. An internal audit revealed a significant increase in workers' compensation fund expenditures, primarily due to numerous, repetitious, and often duplicate invoices from companies operated by Michael Rhinehardt for employee background checks. Ieremia was found to have authorized these payments, misrepresented their necessity and value, and bypassed established protocols, leading to a substantial depletion of the fund's reserves. The Court of Appeals reviewed Ieremia's arguments regarding the denial of his motion to quash and the legal and factual sufficiency of the evidence for both charges. The court found that the evidence was legally and factually sufficient to support both the theft and misapplication of fiduciary property convictions.